9 October 2026
Human Rights Concern–Eritrea (HRCE) calls for urgent international action to prevent Ethiopia’s internal war from becoming an interstate war with Eritrea. Ethiopia’s allegation that Eritrea has launched an “all-out invasion” must be investigated independently. It must not become a pretext for an attack on Eritrea or an attempt to seize Assab, Eritrea’s strategically important Red Sea port near the Ethiopian border.
A Dangerous Conflict with Competing Claims
Fighting is continuing between Ethiopia’s federal authorities and armed opponents in Tigray, Amhara and Afar. The TPLF has joined an opposition alliance fighting the federal government. Independent reporting describes Eritrea as closely aligned with the TPLF, while Eritrea denies Ethiopia’s allegation that it supports the group. Reports that Eritrean troops have entered northern Ethiopia are concerning, but the scale, purpose and sequence of events remain disputed.
Eritrea may regard cooperation with Tigrayan forces as a defensive buffer against an Ethiopian advance toward its border. That is a plausible interpretation, particularly after more than three years of Ethiopian rhetoric concerning sovereign access to the Red Sea and Assab. The nature and scope of any such cooperation, and the location and purpose of reported Eritrean troop movements, have not been independently established. These questions require impartial verification and must be assessed in the full context of Ethiopia’s sustained threats to Eritrea’s sovereignty.
Ethiopia’s Claim Cannot Be Considered in Isolation
Since 2023, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has used Parliament and other public platforms to present sovereign sea access as an existential national objective. He has described Ethiopia’s loss of sea access as a historical “mistake” to be corrected and has repeatedly focused attention on Assab.
Chief of General Staff Field Marshal Birhanu Jula has reportedly told troops that they could be required to fight a country that denied Ethiopia access to the sea. He also asked how the interests of “two million people” could override those of an Ethiopian population expected to reach 200 million.
Published reporting attributes to retired General Bacha Debele the statement that Assab was “Ethiopia’s wealth” and would be returned “by force”.
Another senior officer reportedly described ownership of Assab as a matter of national survival worth paying “any price” to secure.
“Air Force Commander,” Lieutenant General Yilma Merdasa has affirmed that the Ethiopian Air Force is prepared to act as a “shield in the sky” in defence of Ethiopia’s sovereignty. In the context of the government’s wider campaign for sovereign Red Sea access, this statement adds to concerns about the military dimension of that campaign.
“These were not isolated remarks,” or part of a harmless economic debate. Together, they represent a sustained pattern of official pressure directed at the sovereign territory of a neighbouring state.
“Prime Minister Abiy’s repeated…” public references to Ethiopian ownership or sovereign control of a seaport, particularly Assab, seriously undermine the credibility of his assurances that Ethiopia seeks only a peaceful arrangement. His rhetoric, delivered in Parliament and through national, international and social media, has been consistent with the statements of senior Ethiopian military officers and government officials. Taken together, these statements conveyed a sustained and consistent message that Ethiopia regarded sovereign access to the Red Sea as an entitlement it was determined to secure. Eritrea therefore had reasonable grounds to regard this campaign as a serious threat to its sovereignty and territorial integrity and to take proportionate defensive precautions.
“Ethiopia’s leadership…” bears substantial responsibility for the fear, mistrust and escalation that preceded the present crisis between Ethiopia and Eritrea. This documented record must be carefully examined before Ethiopia’s current account is accepted at face value.
HRCE warned of this danger in three public interventions issued on 10 March, 17 September and 13 November 2025. Ethiopia has a legitimate interest in reliable maritime trade and may pursue negotiated transit arrangements, but it has no right to claim ownership of Assab, threaten Eritrea, acquire Eritrean territory or alter internationally recognised borders by force.
Immediate International Action
HRCE urges the United Nations, African Union and Ethiopia’s international partners to:
- Establish an independent mechanism to verify troop movements, border crossings, drone strikes and civilian harm;
- Demand an immediate ceasefire, verified disengagement and the withdrawal of all forces from any confirmed cross-border positions;
- Require Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to recognise publicly Eritrea’s sovereignty over Assab and renounce territorial acquisition or sovereign sea access by force;
- Protect civilians and Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia from reprisals, arbitrary detention and forced return; and
- Press both governments to restore communication and accept neutral mediation.
International law binds both states. The reported troop movements must be verified impartially, while no Ethiopian self-defence claim can lawfully justify acquiring Assab. International actors must establish the facts and act urgently to prevent a wider war.
Human Rights Concern – Eritrea (HRCE)
