Eritrean commentator rejects claim Ethiopia is being pulled into war

An Eritrean commentator has challenged claims by senior Ethiopian officials that Ethiopia is being pushed toward conflict by outside actors. Writing for Al Jazeera, Ali Ibrahim Ahmed said the argument shields Ethiopia’s ruling Prosperity Party from scrutiny over internal crises and rising tensions with Eritrea.

Ahmed was responding to a recent opinion article by Redwan Hussein and Getachew Reda, two senior Ethiopian officials. He said their account wrongly presents Ethiopia as a reluctant victim of external pressure and recasts domestic political strains as the result of outside interference.

Ahmed argued that the war in northern Ethiopia, which began on November 4, 2020, and ended with a cessation of hostilities agreement on November 2, 2022, grew out of Ethiopia’s internal ethnic divisions and political polarisation. He said Eritrea did not start that conflict and entered it only after a request and formal invitation from Ethiopia’s federal government, which he described as tied to self-defence.

According to Ahmed, public statements made during the war by Getachew on X showed that Eritrea was deliberately targeted by regional forces. He also said Ethiopian federal leaders, including Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, later publicly thanked Eritrea after the fighting ended, through official statements, parliamentary exchanges, state media and comments by senior military figures.

Pretoria agreement dispute

Ahmed also disputed how Redwan and Getachew described the talks that led to the Pretoria agreement. He said their account portrayed the negotiations as a sudden reconciliation between bitter Ethiopian rivals, but left out earlier confidential contacts in Djibouti and the Seychelles that he said took place under external mediation.

Ahmed said Getachew later acknowledged that communication channels had already been established while the war was still under way. He further alleged that elements in the Prosperity Party encouraged the two Ethiopian sides to explore joining forces against Eritrea.

The Pretoria accord, Ahmed wrote, was an internal Ethiopian peace agreement dealing with constitutional arrangements, armed group disarmament and restoration of federal authority. He said Eritrea supports genuine efforts to stabilise Ethiopia and has no interest in undermining an agreement among Ethiopian political forces.

Claims over Eritrea and the coast

Ahmed accused Addis Ababa of launching what he called a campaign of hostility toward Eritrea from December 2023. He pointed to Ethiopian government rhetoric about “sovereign access to the sea” and said state-linked figures, academics, media personalities and commentators have been used to promote that position internationally.

He said the campaign seeks to make colonial borders in the Horn of Africa appear negotiable, challenging principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. Ahmed also alleged that Ethiopia has moved military formations, heavy artillery and mechanised units close to Eritrea’s border, alongside statements about acquiring Assab and other Eritrean coastal areas through talks or force.

Ahmed connected those tensions to Ethiopia’s wider regional conduct. He cited the memorandum of understanding with Somaliland, saying it sought coastal access without the consent of Somalia’s central government and triggered a diplomatic crisis over sovereignty.

He also accused Ethiopia of interventionist policies in Somalia, Sudan and other neighbouring conflicts. Ahmed concluded that stability in the Horn of Africa depends on respect for territorial integrity, an end to threats over maritime access and non-interference across borders.

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.