GNV News, March 25, 2026

The Ethiopian army has moved a large number of troops and weapons to the border with Eritrea, raising tensions as the possibility of further conflict is being suggested. Behind this move is Ethiopia’s claim that Eritrean troops have been deployed on Ethiopian territory, and the latest mobilization is a response to that. During the conflict in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region near the border, which ended in 2022, Eritrean forces stationed there are believed to have still not withdrawn from Ethiopian territory. In February 2026, the Ethiopian government issued a letter demanding the withdrawal of Eritrean troops. The letter stated that Eritrean forces have remained for a long time and are also supporting anti-government elements inside Ethiopia. Eritrea, however, denies this.

In the “Horn of Africa” region, which includes both countries, conflicts are already ongoing in Somalia and Sudan. Eritrea and Ethiopia are each involved in some way in the conflict in Sudan, and if a new conflict breaks out this time, there is a risk it could become a wide-ranging clash that draws in the surrounding region.

Eritrea is a relatively new country that gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993. Tensions between the two countries stem from the still undemarcated border issues that have continued since that time. In 1998, a full-scale military clash erupted over the Badme region located on the border between the two countries, leaving about 80,000 dead. The two countries agreed to a ceasefire in 2000 and, in the Algiers Peace Agreement, to accept the border as determined by the neutral Eritrea–Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC). However, although the final ruling in 2002 awarded the Badme region to Eritrea, Ethiopia rejected the decision, and clashes continued to break out from time to time thereafter.

Signs of resolution briefly appeared in 2018, when under Ethiopia’s new prime minister, diplomatic relations with Eritrea were restored, Ethiopian troops withdrew from the Badme region, and the border was opened—but this did not last long.

In 2020, an even larger conflict, the Tigray War, broke out. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which had held power in Ethiopia until 2018 and continues to govern the autonomous Tigray region, clashed with the new Ethiopian government, leading to armed conflict. Eritrea then intervened militarily on the side of the Ethiopian government. The conflict caused a humanitarian crisis and ethnic cleansing through large-scale atrocities, and an estimated 600,000 people are believed to have died. Although the Pretoria Peace Agreement was signed in 2022, it has not led to a fundamental resolution. Even after the agreement was concluded, human rights abuses have persisted and transitional justice has yet to be delivered.

Moreover, the 2022 peace agreement was concluded between the Ethiopian government and the TPLF; Eritrea was not a party to it. This further deepened the rift between the two countries. In addition, after Eritrea’s independence, Ethiopia lost its coastline leading to the Red Sea and became a landlocked country. Ethiopia is now seeking to re-establish a route to the Red Sea, a stance that has raised concerns in Eritrea.

Learn more about Eritrea ⇒ “Eritrea: An authoritarian state expanding its influence in the region”

Learn more about Ethiopia ⇒ “Ethiopia’s great reforms: Can the new Prime Minister Abiy become a savior?”