Eritrea Appeals to UN Security Council for Intervention Amid Escalating Conflict with Ethiopia

Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh stated on Saturday that allegations of Eritrean incursions are part of an Ethiopian strategy to fabricate a pretext for a war of aggression. Eritrea has officially appealed to the United Nations to implement 'deterrent measures' following what it termed Ethiopia's 'declaration of war' amid the ongoing conflict in the Tigray region.

This appeal by Eritrea follows a letter sent a day prior by Addis Ababa to the Security Council, which accused Asmara of launching an 'all-out invasion' and asserted that Eritrean troops had advanced up to 60 kilometres into Ethiopia’s Tigray. In response, Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh submitted a separate letter to the council on Saturday, dismissing the incursion claims as an Ethiopian maneuver to justify aggression and invoking Chapter VII of the UN Charter to urge UN intervention.

Both neighbouring nations have accused one another of initiating hostilities over Tigray, where Ethiopia asserts that Eritrea is providing support to rebels. An alliance consisting of seven armed groups initiated attacks against federal Ethiopian forces in the northern region last month in an effort to unseat Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government. Reports indicate that Eritrean forces subsequently crossed into Ethiopian territory, with Addis Ababa accusing Asmara of backing the rebel Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).

The Ethiopian army successfully pushed TPLF fighters back during the week and captured Mekelle, the regional capital. Additionally, the military reported conducting drone strikes targeting Eritrean troops within the region.

'Eritrea requests the UN Security Council to forcefully condemn Ethiopia’s deplorable declaration of war against Eritrea … and take the requisite deterrent measures,' stated Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh in his Saturday letter.

He warned that Ethiopia's actions would inflict 'huge devastation to the peoples of both countries and destabilise the whole region.'

Meanwhile, Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos characterized Eritrea's actions on Friday as 'a blatant act of aggression that engages Ethiopia’s inherent right to self-defence.' Citing Article 51 of the UN Charter, Gedion Timothewos invoked Ethiopia's right to self-defence without detailing the specific measures being implemented.

Faisal Roble, a Horn of Africa specialist based in Nairobi, Kenya, expressed his view that both governments are actively 'preparing for the last phase of an open conflict.' He noted that the diplomatic letters sent to the United Nations serve primarily as posturing to secure international backing.

In his communication, Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh condemned Ethiopia's actions as 'deceitful attempts to rationalise its brazen acts of war' while describing them as 'hollow in substance.' Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel similarly accused Ethiopia on Friday of pursuing hostile policies through its demands for sovereign access to the Red Sea, though he did not directly address the troop crossing allegations on X.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed reiterated on Monday that access to the Red Sea is an absolute necessity for Ethiopia. Following Eritrea's independence from Ethiopia in 1993, the two nations engaged in a severe border war from 1998 to 2000. Although relations saw improvement following the rise of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in 2018, tensions have resurfaced amid landlocked Ethiopia's ongoing demands for direct sea access—a push that Eritrea perceives as a threat to its port at Assab, following the devastating 2020-2022 war fought by TPLF fighters against Ethiopian and Eritrean forces.