African Union urges restraint as Ethiopia tensions grow
Ethiopia has accused Egypt, Eritrea, and Sudan of supporting armed opposition groups that have fought its federal troops.
The African Union has warned Ethiopia and its neighboring countries to show restraint as escalating tensions risk destabilizing the region. Addis Ababa has accused Egypt, Eritrea, and Sudan of aiding armed opposition groups that have been battling Ethiopia's federal forces in northern Tigray since last week. However, the three nations deny these allegations.
On Thursday, the AU Commission called upon the countries to resolve their disputes through diplomatic channels and peaceful dialogue. This statement came after Eritrea severed diplomatic ties with Ethiopia in response to Addis Ababa's decision to close its embassy in Asmara and label 10 Eritrean diplomats as persona non grata. Tensions surrounding control of the disputed Tigray region have intensified in recent months.
The latest clashes represent the most significant outbreak of violence since the 2020-2022 conflict in the northern area, which resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths. Experts are concerned that renewed fighting could rapidly escalate into a wider conflict across the Horn of Africa, potentially exacerbating instability in the Red Sea, which has been impacted by the Iran war.
Written by urgent.news from Semafor's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
