In written responses published on 2 November, an Eritrean diplomat challenged Ethiopia to produce evidence that Eritrean troops had crossed the border, as Ethiopia's ambassador in Paris insisted the incursions were 'undeniable'.
Eritrea has rejected Ethiopian allegations that its troops crossed into northern Ethiopia, in written responses from its embassy in London published by The African Gazette on 2 November. Yafet Zereou, head of political, diplomatic and media affairs at the Eritrean Embassy to the United Kingdom and Ireland, was replying to statements by Ethiopia's ambassador in Paris, Sebsibe Bade.
Two accounts
Ambassador Sebsibe told the outlet: "The fact that Eritrean troops, accompanied by heavy artillery and military equipment, crossed deep into the Ethiopian territory in every direction in its northern border is undeniable." He accused hardline elements of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) of breaching the 2022 Pretoria agreement and cooperating militarily with Eritrea, and said: "What Ethiopia is doing is exercising its legitimate right to defend itself."
Zereou replied that "neither the media outlets nor the Ethiopian government has been able to produce any evidence to back their claims", and challenged Addis Ababa to give precise locations. He said that "by accusing Eritrea of breaching its sovereignty", the Ethiopian government was "trying to divert attention from its aggressive war-mongering rhetoric". He cited the April 2002 ruling of the Eritrea–Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC), final and binding under the 2000 Algiers Agreement, and said Eritrean troops are within Eritrea's internationally recognised borders. The outlet noted that the ruling does not by itself establish where forces are deployed today.
Red Sea access
The sharpest disagreement concerns Ethiopia's ambition for access to the sea. Sebsibe said "good neighbourliness guides the foreign policy of Ethiopia". Zereou accused Addis Ababa of seeking "sovereign ownership of Eritrea's ports" rather than commercial access, which he said Eritrea had never denied. "Therefore, there is no merit in engaging with the Ethiopian government, while it still maintains its aspiration to annex sovereign Eritrean territory," he said, while adding that Eritrea "has never considered military action as a means to resolve disputes" but is "duty-bound" to defend its territory.
The same day, Eritrea's Ministry of Information published an article on its official website, Shabait, headlined "Ethiopia's overtly declared war agenda against Eritrea". CERHA could not retrieve the full text from the site.
Background
Relations have deteriorated sharply since fighting resumed in Tigray. Ethiopia closed its embassy in Asmara and the two countries had broken off diplomatic ties by early October, Al Jazeera reported. Federal forces retook Mekelle in early October, and the TPLF claims continued fighting near Aksum. The International Crisis Group has urged both governments to step back from war. Neither side's claims about troop positions have been independently verified.
Image: The plaque at the entrance of the Embassy of Eritrea in London, 2013. Sdrawkcab, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.