Asmara appeals to UN as Ethiopian troops reach border

Zalambessa became a critical flashpoint because it lies on Ethiopia’s border with Eritrea. Ethiopian government forces reached the town during a counter-offensive against the Tigrayan rebel alliance. The town had previously been controlled by the rebels, and its capture or military occupation showed that fighting was moving toward the international border.

The danger grew because witnesses and a conflict monitor said Eritrean troops had crossed into Zalambessa the previous week in support of the rebels. It was unclear whether Eritrean forces or rebels remained there on Tuesday. Ethiopia also accused Eritrean troops of advancing as far as 60 kilometres inside Ethiopia.

Ethiopia and Eritrea had made peace in 2018, but their relations had since deteriorated. With both countries potentially supporting opposite sides, diplomats sought to prevent a broader conflict. The UN Security Council scheduled a closed-door meeting, while Eritrea denied entering Ethiopia and accused Addis Ababa of effectively declaring war.

The Tigray People’s Liberation Front, or TPLF, is the organisation leading the rebel alliance in the fighting described. It is based in Tigray, Ethiopia’s northern region, and is identified in the article as the force that went on the offensive against the federal government. The article does not provide a fuller history or platform for the TPLF.

The current fighting began last month when the TPLF-led alliance launched an offensive. Ethiopia’s federal government then began a counter-offensive that drove the rebels from several towns and pushed them north toward the Eritrean border. Zalambessa was one of the towns previously controlled by the rebels.

The article links the conflict to an earlier Tigray war, which killed hundreds of thousands between 2020 and 2022. It does not state the immediate political demands behind the renewed fighting. It does show that the conflict has become a regional concern because Eritrea is accused of supporting the rebels, while Ethiopia rejects that involvement.

Ethiopia told UN Security Council members that Eritrean troops had advanced up to 60 kilometres inside Ethiopian territory. That accusation turned a battlefield development into a direct interstate crisis. Eritrea denied any incursion and said Ethiopia’s claims amounted to a declaration of war.

The reported destination was Zalambessa, a town with a population of around 15,000. It is located on the Ethiopian side of the border with Eritrea and near Ethiopia’s northernmost point. Six sources said Ethiopian government troops had reached the town after rebels retreated north.

The article does not establish whether Eritrean troops were still in Zalambessa when Ethiopian forces arrived. It also says a spokesperson for a pro-government militia did not confirm that the military had taken control. The conflicting accounts explain why the town became central to urgent diplomatic efforts and the UN Security Council’s planned meeting.

Eritrea appealed to the UN because Ethiopia accused Eritrean forces of entering Ethiopia and backing the Tigrayan rebels. Eritrea denied the incursion and argued that Ethiopia’s accusations amounted to a “declaration of war.” Its foreign minister, Osman Saleh, asked the Security Council to take action against Addis Ababa.

Eritrea invoked Chapter VII of the UN Charter in its letter to the council. Under the explanation provided in the article, Chapter VII allows the Security Council to adopt deterrent measures. These can range from economic sanctions to military action, depending on the council’s decision.

The appeal added a diplomatic and legal dimension to a fast-moving military crisis. Ethiopia had already written to council members, accusing Eritrean troops of advancing up to 60 kilometres inside Ethiopia. Security Council members were due to meet behind closed doors to discuss the situation in the Horn of Africa.

If Ethiopia and Eritrea become direct opponents, the fighting could spread beyond the Tigray conflict. A domestic rebellion would then involve two neighbouring states with their own military forces, raising the risk of a larger interstate confrontation. The article describes this as a fear of broader contagion of violence.

The immediate mechanism is support for opposing sides. Ethiopia says Eritrean troops entered up to 60 kilometres inside its territory to support the rebels. Eritrea denies the accusation and says Ethiopia’s claims amount to a declaration of war. Those conflicting positions can turn battlefield allegations into direct diplomatic and military escalation.

The wider setting makes the danger more serious. Conflicts are already raging elsewhere in the region, and tensions are high across the Red Sea. Ethiopia and Eritrea had made peace in 2018 but are now on opposing sides again. The UN Security Council meeting was intended to help avert a wider crisis.

Ethiopia and Eritrea had been locked in conflict for years before making peace in 2018. The agreement created a period of improved relations between the neighbours. Eritrea then supported Ethiopia’s federal government during the 2020–2022 civil war in Tigray, showing that the two countries could cooperate militarily.

The relationship later deteriorated. When fighting broke out again last month, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front led a rebel alliance against Ethiopia’s federal government. Ethiopia accused Eritrea of supporting that alliance and said Eritrean troops had advanced deep into Ethiopian territory.

Eritrea rejected the accusations, denied any incursion, and asked the UN to take deterrent measures against Ethiopia. The reversal is significant because former partners are now portrayed as being on opposite sides of a new conflict. Their dispute is also linked to Ethiopia’s demand for sea access, adding another source of tension to already strained relations.

A coastline matters to a landlocked country because it provides direct access to seaports and international shipping routes. Those routes can support imports, exports, fuel supplies, and wider trade. Without its own coastline, a country must depend on neighbouring states and agreements to move goods through ports and across borders.

The article says Ethiopia had access to a coastline for decades, until Eritrea became independent from Addis Ababa in 1993. Since then, Ethiopia has treated restoring sea access as an existential issue. This makes the question more than a commercial concern in Ethiopian policy, although the article does not detail the country’s specific trade arrangements.

The sea-access dispute has added strain to already worsening Ethiopia-Eritrea relations. Ethiopia says access should be restored through peace and dialogue. However, the issue is unfolding alongside accusations about Eritrean troops, rebel support, and fighting near the border, making diplomacy more urgent.