Addis Abeba — Ethiopia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gedion Timothewos, has issued a stern diplomatic appeal to U.S. Secretary of State Marco A. Rubio, accusing Eritrea of its “unrelenting cooperation and coordination between a faction of the TPLF”, and “other armed groups under their tutelage, to undertake major offensive operations during the upcoming rainy season.”
Foreign Minister Gedion also accused the Eritrean government of “repeated provocations,” “territorial occupation,” and sponsoring armed groups to destabilize Ethiopia. In a letter dated 20 June, Gedion warned that these actions constitute “a flagrant violation of international law” and threaten to unravel fragile peace and security in the Horn of Africa.
In the letter, Gedion recounted Ethiopia’s efforts to normalize relations following the historic 2018 “Joint Declaration of Peace and Friendship“, which included restoring flights, trade, and telecommunications between the two countries. “Ethiopia took the initiative,” he wrote, “driven by fraternal ties and shared prosperity,” and remained committed to peaceful dialogue even amid rising tensions.
However, he accused Eritrea of reversing course after the signing of the 2022 Pretoria Peace Agreement that ended the two-year brutal war in the Tigray region.
Eritrean forces fought alongside Ethiopian forces in the war in Tigray and stand accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. A newly released report also presented detailed evidence indicating that Eritrea’s leaders actively planned and prepared for the war well before hostilities erupted.
With diplomatic relations already cooling off in post-Pretoria, Ethiopia is now directly accusing Eritrea of using the war as “an opportunity to weaken Ethiopia,” and that it “began to adopt an increasingly hostile posture,” following the signing of the Pretoria agreement.
Gedion’s letter mentioned a cascade of decision taken by the Eritrean government including its decision to halt the direct aviation link between the two countries, freeze Ethiopian Airlines assets, block telecom connections, and sponsor and support to “various armed groups that serve as its proxies in Ethiopia.”
“Even when faced with these violations… the Government of Ethiopia has exercised maximum restraint,” Gedion wrote, while calling on the international community to “urge the Eritrean regime to respect Ethiopia’s sovereignty and halt its illegal support for subversion.”
Although a copy of the letter circulated earlier and was yet uncorroborated including by Addis Standard, on 26 June, Eritrea’s Ministry of Information issued a statement dismissing the contents of the letter as “a transparent ploy” to justify a “long-brewing war agenda.” The Ministry accused Ethiopia of indulging in “provocative saber-rattling,” and pursuing access to Eritrean ports “legally if possible and militarily, if necessary,” and accused the Prosperity Party-led government of engaging in “a weapons purchasing spree” and undermining regional stability, despite what it claimed was Eritrea’s “maximum restraint.”
In a parliamentary address on Thursday, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed reiterated Ethiopia’s pursuit of sea access “peacefully” and emphasized mutual benefit over coercion. “We want access to the sea, not by force, but by understanding,” he said.
Dismissing speculations of impending war with Eritrea, Abiy told lawmakers that Ethiopia doesn’t “desire any conflict… they should also do the same.”
Nonetheless, he reaffirmed that Ethiopia has “sufficient capacity to defend itself,” describing it as “a country with a large economy, a significant population, and a modern army.”
In the letter, Foreign Minister Gedion urged the United States to press the Eritrean government to “respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ethiopia,” withdraw its troops from Ethiopian territory, and “halt its illegal support of subversion and armed actors.” He further called on the broader international community to demand that Eritrea “cease and desist its use of proxies in its belligerence against Ethiopia.”
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While affirming Ethiopia’s “inherent right to use all means necessary” under international law to defend its sovereignty, Gedion said that the government remains committed to “peaceful and mutually beneficial avenues through dialogue and peaceful engagement” as the preferred means to address what he described as “the looming danger to regional peace and security created by the bellicosity of Eritrea.”
With accusations mounting on both sides and the rainy season approaching- usually a period of intensified military activities – diplomatic observers warn that the region could be edging toward another dangerous flashpoint.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
