There are fears that a new war could break out between the governments of Eritrea and Ethiopia, which have been moving troops to areas near their shared border in recent days.
The Deputy President of the Tigray Transitional Federal Government, Lt. Gen. Tsadkan Gebretensae, has warned of a potential conflict along the border between the two countries, following the military buildup by the sides in recent days.
“A war between Ethiopia and Eritrea could break out at any time,” Gebretensae said in an op-ed published in The Africa Report, expressing his fear that Tigray region could become a battlefield for the two sides. He said the chances of ending the war are dwindling.
Ethiopia and Eritrea, long-time enemies, reconciled in 2018 after Abiy Ahmed took office as Ethiopian Prime Minister, with Eritrea assisting Ethiopia in its fight against the TPLF. But the conflict has been renewed since the Pretoria Agreement between the TPLF and the Ethiopian government.
The Eritrean government, which recently announced a full military mobilization, has said that Ethiopia is seeking to exploit the conflict between the TPLF leadership and the Tigray Transitional Federal Government, which is feared to lead to another war that could undermine the fragile peace in the region.
“Asaias Afwerki is trying to exploit the divisions within the TPLF to undermine the Pretoria peace agreement,” former Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome told Al Jazeera.
Reports also suggest that Ethiopia’s desire for a sea route has also alarmed the Eritrean government, which wants to prevent possible attacks by Ethiopia on its commercial ports.
Meanwhile, Eritrea’s Information Minister, Yemane G. Meskel, has distanced his government from the accusations coming from Ethiopia. “The Pretoria Agreement is an internal matter of Ethiopia, and its borders should not be crossed,” he said, adding that his government has no interest in interfering in Ethiopia’s internal affairs.
A report published in Foreign Policy called on the African Union, Gulf states and the West to urgently intervene in the situation, which is feared to turn into a war that could jeopardize regional peace and the Red Sea trade routes.
