​​Eritrea Rejects Ethiopian Claims of Troop Presence as ‘Fabricated’

Eritrea has dismissed allegations from Ethiopia that its troops were operating inside Ethiopian territory, calling the claims “false and fabricated.”

Tensions between the two Horn of Africa nations have been longstanding, but recent months have seen Addis Ababa accuse Eritrea of backing insurgent groups on Ethiopian soil – a charge Asmara firmly denies.

On Saturday, Ethiopia called for the “withdrawal of Eritrean forces from Ethiopian territory.” In response, Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel said on Monday that the accusations were “astounding in tone and substance” and part of “a pattern of hostile campaigns against Eritrea” spanning more than two years.

“Eritrea has no appetite for meaningless acrimony that could inflame the situation further,” he added.

Addis Ababa has also accused Eritrea of supporting rebel factions fighting federal forces in the Amhara region, describing such actions as “acts of outright aggression” rather than mere provocations.

Eritrea, one of the world’s most closed countries, gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993 following decades of armed struggle. The two countries later fought a border war from 1998 to 2000 that claimed tens of thousands of lives.