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Ethiopia has called on Eritrea to “immediately withdraw” its troops from its territory, accusing Asmara of escalating tensions and backing rebel groups along the countries’ northwestern border.
In a letter dated Saturday, 7 February 2026, to his Eritrean counterpart, Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister, Gedion Timothewos, said recent developments suggested Eritrea had opted for further escalation.
“Developments over the last few days indicate that the Government of Eritrea has chosen the path of further escalation,” Timothewos said.
He urged Asmara to pull back its forces and end any cooperation with armed groups operating inside Ethiopia.
Gedion described the troop presence and collaboration with rebels as acts of aggression rather than mere provocation but maintained that diplomacy could still halt what he called a cycle of violence and mistrust between the two neighbours.
Eritrea’s government has not publicly responded to the accusations.
Ties between the Horn of Africa nations have historically been tense. Eritrea secured independence from Ethiopia in 1993, and the two countries later fought a bloody border war between 1998 and 2000 that left tens of thousands dead.
Although both governments aligned against Tigrayan forces during Ethiopia’s 2020-2022 conflict, relations reportedly deteriorated after Eritrea was excluded from the subsequent peace agreement.
