Ethiopia accuses Eritrea, TPLF of forging new alliance to destabilise country
Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos alleged that the Eritrean government and hardline elements of the TPLF were "funding, mobilising, and directing armed groups such as Fano" to expand conflict in northern Ethiopia.
Ethiopia has accused Eritrea and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) of forging a new alliance to destabilise the country, warning that the two are "actively preparing to wage war" under a coalition dubbed Tsimdo.
In a letter dated October 2, 2025, addressed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos alleged that the Eritrean government and hardline elements of the TPLF were "funding, mobilising, and directing armed groups such as Fano" to expand conflict in northern Ethiopia.
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He claimed that the alliance had coordinated a recent offensive by the Amhara-based Fano militia aimed at capturing Woldiya, a key town in the Amhara region.
"The collusion between the Eritrean government and the hardliner faction of the TPLF has become more evident over the past few months," Gedion wrote.
He added that both groups were undermining the 2022 Pretoria Agreement that ended the two-year civil war between the federal government and the TPLF.
According to the ministry, TPLF fighters allegedly joined the Fano offensive in Woldiya and in nearby areas such as Raya and Welkait.
Addis Ababa accused Eritrea of being "the main architect of these nefarious activities," providing "financial, material, and political support" to foment instability under the guise of preemptive self-defence.
"Eritrea presents its hostile acts as preemptive defensive measures," Gedion said, calling the claims "pretexts invoked to justify Eritrea's decades-old effort to destabilise Ethiopia."
The minister reiterated that Ethiopia remained committed to pursuing access to the sea "through peaceful means," insisting that the government's vision was "shared prosperity through integration that preserves the territorial integrity and sovereignty of both states."
The letter warned, however, that the Ethiopian National Defense Forces' current "defensive posture" should not be mistaken for weakness: "The policy is not one of indefinite restraint," Gedion said.
The accusations mark a sharp deterioration in relations between Addis Ababa and Asmara, once tactical allies during the Tigray war, and signal renewed tensions in the Horn of Africa as old rivalries re-emerge under new alignments.
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