Mekelle/Tel Aviv/Nairobi/Pretoria/London
Ethiopia Accuses Eritrea of Provocations, Urges International Community to Help Prevent Conflict
Addis Ababa, 2 October 2025
In a letter addressed to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, Ethiopia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gedion Timothewos Hessebon, accused the Eritrean government of repeated provocations and destabilizing actions against Ethiopia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The communication, dated 2 October 2025, follows a previous letter sent in June, in which Ethiopia raised concerns about what it described as Eritrea’s “hostile acts.” The latest statement alleges that Asmara has intensified its involvement in regional conflicts through collaboration with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and armed groups such as Fano.
According to the letter, Eritrea and a “hardliner faction” of the TPLF have formed an alliance known as “Tsimdo” with the objective of waging war against Ethiopia. The Ethiopian government claims that this alliance has been funding and directing armed operations, including a recent offensive aimed at capturing the Amhara region town of Wolidya.
Ethiopia also accuses Eritrea of violating the 2022 Pretoria Agreement, which ended the two-year conflict in northern Ethiopia, by supporting renewed TPLF activities in areas such as Raya and Welkait. The Ethiopian Defense Forces, the letter states, have so far maintained a “defensive posture” under a policy of “maximum restraint,” though Addis Ababa warns that this restraint “is not indefinite.”
Eritrea, the letter adds, justifies its actions as preemptive measures against Ethiopia’s alleged ambitions to gain access to the Red Sea claims Ethiopia calls “pretexts.” The Ethiopian government reiterated that it seeks maritime access only through peaceful and cooperative means, emphasizing regional economic integration and mutual prosperity as the path forward.
Ethiopia called on the international community to pressure Eritrea to cease what it described as “acts of hostility” and to support efforts toward constructive engagement and lasting peace in the Horn of Africa.
Neither the Eritrean government nor the United Nations has yet issued an official response to the Ethiopian statement.
