Ethiopian troops reach border town of Zalambessa as UN Security Council meets on war fears

Ethiopian government troops have advanced to Zalambessa, a town of about 15,000 people on Ethiopia's side of the border with Eritrea, Reuters reported citing several sources, deepening fears that fighting in the Tigray region could turn into a war between the two neighbours.

Witnesses and a conflict monitor told Reuters that Eritrean troops had crossed into the town the previous week to support Tigrayan rebels. It was not clear whether Eritrean forces or rebels were still present. Ethiopia's military did not immediately comment.

Accusations at the UN

The two governments have taken their dispute to the United Nations. In a letter dated 9 October, Ethiopia accused Eritrea of sending troops onto its territory and arming insurgents, and cited its right to self-defence. Ethiopia has said Eritrean forces advanced up to 60 km inside the country.

Eritrea denies sending troops. Its foreign minister, Osman Saleh, wrote to the Security Council on 10 October calling Ethiopia's accusations a "declaration of war" and asking the Council to take deterrent measures under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which allows steps ranging from sanctions to military action. Council members held closed consultations on the Horn of Africa on Tuesday at the request of the United States.

How the fighting began

Fighting resumed in late September when an alliance led by the Tigray People's Liberation Front launched an offensive aimed at removing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government. Federal forces have since pushed the rebels back from several towns, including the regional capital Mekelle. Eritrea cut diplomatic ties with Ethiopia on 1 October.

Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a border war from 1998 to 2000 and made peace in 2018, but relations have soured again, partly over Ethiopia's push for access to the Red Sea, which Eritrea sees as a threat to its port of Assab. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for a halt to hostilities.

Why it matters

A wider war in the Horn of Africa would add to instability around the Red Sea, a key shipping route for India's trade with Europe that is already under strain from conflict in the Gulf and Yemen.