Wayne Lumbasi
Ethiopia has accused Eritrea of supplying weapons to armed groups fighting the federal government, escalating diplomatic tensions between the two neighbors and reviving fears of a wider regional crisis. The accusation was made after Ethiopian authorities said they intercepted a large cache of ammunition in the Amhara region, where clashes between government forces and Fano militias have continued for months.
Ethiopian federal police said they seized about 56,000 rounds of ammunition and arrested two suspects in connection with the shipment. Officials stated that preliminary investigations indicated the weapons originated from Eritrea and were intended for Fano fighters, an armed group engaged in sustained fighting with federal forces since 2023. The government has classified the militia as illegal and blamed it for deadly attacks on security personnel and public infrastructure.
Eritrea denied the allegations, calling them false and inflammatory. Eritrean officials accused Ethiopia’s ruling Prosperity Party of attempting to shift blame for internal instability and warned against what they described as efforts to justify hostile action. President Isaias Afwerki has said Eritrea does not seek war but would respond if its sovereignty is threatened.
Relations between the two countries remain fragile despite the 2018 peace agreement that formally ended decades of hostility following the 1998 – 2000 border war. Although Eritrea supported Ethiopian federal forces during the 2020- 2022 conflict in Tigray, ties deteriorated after Eritrea was excluded from the agreement that ended that war.
Tensions have also been fueled by recent statements from Ethiopian officials emphasizing the country’s need for access to the Red Sea, an issue that Eritrea views as highly sensitive given its control of key ports. The renewed accusations come as Ethiopia faces multiple internal security challenges, particularly in Amhara, where the conflict has disrupted transport, communications, and public services.
No independent verification of Ethiopia’s claims has been released, and Eritrea has not acknowledged any involvement in supporting armed groups. The exchange of accusations marks the sharpest deterioration in relations between the two countries in recent years, adding pressure to an already unstable security situation in the Horn of Africa.
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