Rubio urges Ethiopia and Eritrea to de-escalate in call with Abiy

Mixed · 2US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by phone on Wednesday with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and the State Department said he supports "de-escalation by all sides" amid heightened tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea. 1 2 Mixed · 2According to the State Department readout, Rubio stressed that all countries in the Horn of Africa must respect their neighbours' sovereignty and territorial integrity and avoid cross-border incursions, and that "the region cannot tolerate more conflict". 1 2 Centre · 1The readout said the only sustainable solution to internal and external tensions is dialogue and engagement, as agreed in the 2018 Ethiopia-Eritrea peace framework. 1

Centre · 1Abiy called the conversation "very fruitful", said they discussed bilateral, regional and multilateral issues, and wrote on X that he welcomed the assurance of continued US support for Ethiopia. 1 Centre · 1Anadolu says the two countries fought alongside each other in the 2020-2022 Tigray war but relations have since deteriorated sharply, and that tensions have grown over Ethiopia's pursuit of Red Sea access, particularly the Eritrean port of Assab, which Asmara says is its sovereign territory. 1 Right · 1AFP adds that the neighbours accuse each other of trying to destabilise their countries and fought a 1998-2000 war over territorial disputes that killed tens of thousands of people. 2

Right · 1AFP also reported that Ethiopian federal forces and allies are closing in on a town near the Eritrean border, according to a pro-government militia commander and a resident, and that thousands of Eritrean soldiers were deployed to Tigray last week, according to a security source. The Tigray People's Liberation Front, which had governed the region, took up arms again against federal forces last month. 2