Eritrea calls for 'pressure' on Ethiopia to respect neighbours' 'sovereignty'

Eritrean people walk on September 11, 2018 to the border with Ethiopia in Serha, Eritrea, as two land border crossings between Ethiopia and Eritrea were reopened for the first time in 20 years in Serha. [AFP]

The international community must push Ethiopia to respect "the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbours", Eritrea said late Tuesday, as tensions rise between the two Horn of Africa nations.

Fierce foes since Ethiopia's independence in 1993, the two countries signed a peace deal in 2018.

However, following the 2020-2022 Tigray war, which saw Eritrea back Ethiopia against the Tigrayan forces, relations deteriorated once again.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's ambitions for landlocked Ethiopia to gain access to the sea have angered Eritrea, which has accused it of eyeing the port of Assab.

"Eritrea is perplexed by Ethiopia's misguided and outdated ambitions for maritime access and naval base 'through diplomacy or military force'," Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel said, echoing remarks made by the foreign minister to international diplomats.

In a post on X late Tuesday, he urged the international community "to pressure Ethiopia to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbors".

He also described Eritrea's alleged "preparations for war against Ethiopia" as "false accusations".

Ethiopian authorities did not respond to AFP's requests for comment.

In February, the NGO Human Rights Concern Eritrea (HRCE) claimed that Asmara had ordered "a nationwide military mobilisation" for all citizens under the age of 60. AFP was unable to independently verify the information.

Last week, a security source, who requested anonymity, claimed convoys loaded with weapons were heading towards northern Afar, an Ethiopian region bordering Eritrea.

"A war between Ethiopia and Eritrea could break out at any moment," said General Tsadkan Gebretensae, a strategist for the forces in Tigray, which shares a long border with Eritrea.

The region endured one of the deadliest wars in recent decades, with at least 600,000 killed, and has been the scene of clashes for several weeks between two factions of the ruling party in Tigray.