Fresh clashes in Ethiopia’s Tigray region and rising tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea have raised concerns about the spread of a regional war in the Horn of Africa.
Reports indicate that Ethiopia and Eritrea have entered a new phase of political and military tensions, but there has been no credible report of an official declaration of direct war between the two countries.
Eritrea severed diplomatic relations with Ethiopia on October 1, after Ethiopia closed its embassy in Asmara and expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats.
Tigray’s conflicts have also intensified after the collapse of the 2022 peace agreement, with Tigray forces clashing with Ethiopian federal forces; Ethiopia has accused Eritrea of supporting armed opposition groups, but Asmara has denied these accusations.
Eritrea’s location on the Red Sea coast and Ethiopia’s dispute over access to the sea and the port of Assab have been cited as important factors in increasing tensions between the two countries; at the same time, competition between regional and trans-regional powers in the Horn of Africa could affect the scope of this crisis.
