Ethiopia says it must defend itself against Eritrea's 'all-out invasion'

Ethiopia said an "all-out invasion" by Eritrean forces had left it with no option but to defend itself, in a letter to the UN shared with Reuters on Friday, as blasts continued near the border between the two countries. In response, Eritrea's information minister ‌said his country had shown restraint since Ethiopia had declared a war of aggression against Eritrea by stating in 2023 it would acquire sovereign access to the sea.

The countries traded accusations after a reported incursion by Eritrean troops this week raised fears of outright war in the region, where the two nations have fought previous conflicts. The stakes have been raised this time around by conflicts in the Horn of Africa region and ‌tensions across the Red Sea. Ethiopia lost its access to all coastline when Eritrea secured independence in 1993. Addis Ababa argues that restoring sea access is an existential issue but has said it would ‌be restored through peace and dialogue.

Ethiopia has accused Eritrea of supporting a rebel alliance in Ethiopia. Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos said in the letter that Eritrean forces had advanced up to 60 km (37 miles) into the country. "The all-out invasion of parts of northern Ethiopia by Eritrea is a matter of public record,” the letter said. “It is a blatant act of aggression that engages Ethiopia’s inherent right to self-defence.”

The letter, dated Thursday, was addressed to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot. The senior Ethiopian government official who shared the ⁠letter said ​it was also sent to the other members of the ⁠UN Security Council. AT WAR FOR THREE YEARS, SAYS ERITREA

"The Ethiopian regime has been pursuing, in effect, an unprovoked war of aggression against Eritrea for more than three years," Yemane Gebremeskel, Eritrea’s information minister, said in a statement posted on X on ⁠Friday. Citing statements made by Ethiopian officials, Yemane accused Addis Ababa of using the current conflict to take Assab, an Eritrean port, in order to restore access to the Red Sea.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s spokesperson did not immediately respond ​to a request for comment. Eritrean soldiers were seen in northern Ethiopia this week, witnesses told Reuters, days after the neighbours severed diplomatic ties.

Yemane's statement did not address the issue of Eritrean troops ⁠deploying in Ethiopia. On Wednesday, he called reports of an Eritrean incursion part of an Ethiopian plan to justify a war of aggression against his country. FLIGHTS TO MEKELLE TO RESUME

Drone strikes, believed to have been carried out by Ethiopia’s military, targeted Eritrean forces ⁠on ​Wednesday and Thursday as they withdrew from positions near the northern Tigray town of Adigrat, about 30 km (19 miles) from the border with Eritrea, the US-based conflict monitor ACLED said. An Adigrat resident told Reuters on Friday that they had heard repeated explosions overnight and into the morning from several kilometres outside town.

Ethiopian government forces have continued to gain ground in Tigray in recent days and, in a sign of ⁠further consolidation, Ethiopian Airlines said it would resume flights to the regional capital Mekelle on October 11. Eritrea has denied backing the rebel alliance that has been battling federal government troops since September 23 in ⁠the northern regions of Tigray, Amhara and Afar.

After years ⁠of war, Eritrea and Ethiopia made peace in a 2018 agreement that earned Abiy a Nobel Peace Prize. Eritrea fought in support of Ethiopia’s federal government during a 2020-2022 civil war in Tigray, but relations soured again toward the end of that conflict. The fighting that broke out last month has been the ‌biggest escalation of violence since the ‌Tigray war, which caused hundreds of thousands of deaths.

(Writing by Aaron Ross and David Lewis; Editing by ​Silvia Aloisi, Peter Graff, Aidan Lewis and Andrew Heavens)