Addis Ababa’s military chief says foreign powers/Eritrea, Egypt and Sudan are supporting armed groups seeking to overthrow the government
Eritrea, Egypt and Sudan are backing armed militias seeking to overthrow Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government, the country’s military chief has claimed.
Field Marshal Birhanu Jula made the accusation on Saturday amid renewed fighting involving the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), an armed political group that controls much of Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region.
“Neither Shaebia [Eritrea] nor the TPLF can achieve anything alone, even if they are allied, unless they are backed, supported and supplied by Sudan, Egypt and other external powers,” Jula said in an interview with the military’s media outlet.
On Sunday, Sudan dismissed the accusation as “baseless.” Army spokesman Asim Awad Abdelwahab countered that Ethiopia was allowing support for Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to pass through its territory. Egypt and Eritrea had not publicly responded to Jula’s claims as of Sunday.
Ethiopia has increasingly strained relations with the three countries. Addis Ababa and Cairo have long been at odds over Ethiopia’s giant dam on the Blue Nile, while Ethiopia and Sudan have an unresolved border dispute. Relations with Eritrea have also sharply deteriorated despite Asmara having fought alongside Ethiopian government forces during the previous Tigray war.
The accusations come days after seven armed groups formed an alliance aimed at ousting Abiy’s government. The coalition brings together former enemies, including the TPLF and the Amhara Fano National Movement, which fought on opposing sides during the 2020-2022 war, as well as the Oromo Liberation Army.
Fighting has since intensified. TPLF-aligned forces seized airports in Mekelle, Axum and Shire last week and detained federal personnel, according to the African Union, forcing Ethiopian Airlines to suspend flights to the region. Clashes have also spread into neighboring Amhara and Afar.
The Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) claimed on Thursday that it had killed 272 TPLF fighters and captured another 260 during a counteroffensive. The battlefield figures could not be independently verified.
Jula said the military was responding with “wisdom and restraint,” warning that another major war would have devastating consequences for civilians.
The African Union has urged the sides to immediately de-escalate and return to direct talks, saying the airport seizures violated commitments under the 2022 Pretoria Agreement. It has also urged Ethiopia’s neighbors not to take actions that could further fuel the conflict.
The Pretoria deal ended a two-year war between federal forces and the TPLF that resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths. Eritrea backed Addis Ababa during that conflict, while Fano forces also fought alongside the federal government before later turning against it.
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