Ethiopian authorities have seized a large quantity of ammunition that was allegedly sent by Eritrea to support armed rebels in the country's Amhara region, sparking concerns about an escalating conflict between the two nations.
According to Ethiopian police, more than 56,000 rounds of ammunition were confiscated from suspects who were reportedly caught trying to transport them to the Fano rebels. The police claim that the ammunition was sent by the Eritrean government as part of a plan to arm the Shabiya group, a term used to describe the ruling party in Eritrea.
However, Eritrea's Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel has denied the allegations, accusing Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's Prosperity Party (PP) of trying to find a pretext to launch an attack. Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki has also accused Ethiopia of declaring war on his country.
The latest development comes at a volatile time for relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea, which have been strained in recent months due to disagreements over access to the Red Sea. In 2023, Abiy Ahmed declared that Ethiopia's access to the sea was an existential matter, leading to tensions with Eritrea.
Eritrea has previously denied interfering in Ethiopian affairs, but the latest allegations suggest that the relationship between the two nations is deteriorating rapidly. The Fano rebels have been waging a violent insurgency in northern Ethiopia's Amhara region since 2022, and it appears that Eritrea may be trying to support them.
The seizure of the ammunition has sparked fears of renewed conflict between the two countries, which have a complex and often tense history. A decades-long battle for independence ended with Eritrea officially seceding from Ethiopia in 1993, but the relationship soured again after the border war that killed over 100,000 people in the late 1990s.
In recent years, Ethiopian troops fought alongside Eritrean forces to support the government during a civil war in Ethiopia's Tigray region. However, Eritrea was excluded from the peace deal that ended the conflict in November 2022, leading to renewed tensions between the two nations.
The situation is further complicated by Ethiopia's growing demands for access to the Red Sea through Eritrea, which has sparked a diplomatic crisis. The latest allegations suggest that Eritrea may be trying to support armed rebels in northern Ethiopia as part of a broader strategy to undermine Abiy Ahmed's government.
Overall, the seizure of the ammunition highlights the deepening tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea, two nations with a complex and often fraught history.
According to Ethiopian police, more than 56,000 rounds of ammunition were confiscated from suspects who were reportedly caught trying to transport them to the Fano rebels. The police claim that the ammunition was sent by the Eritrean government as part of a plan to arm the Shabiya group, a term used to describe the ruling party in Eritrea.
However, Eritrea's Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel has denied the allegations, accusing Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's Prosperity Party (PP) of trying to find a pretext to launch an attack. Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki has also accused Ethiopia of declaring war on his country.
The latest development comes at a volatile time for relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea, which have been strained in recent months due to disagreements over access to the Red Sea. In 2023, Abiy Ahmed declared that Ethiopia's access to the sea was an existential matter, leading to tensions with Eritrea.
Eritrea has previously denied interfering in Ethiopian affairs, but the latest allegations suggest that the relationship between the two nations is deteriorating rapidly. The Fano rebels have been waging a violent insurgency in northern Ethiopia's Amhara region since 2022, and it appears that Eritrea may be trying to support them.
The seizure of the ammunition has sparked fears of renewed conflict between the two countries, which have a complex and often tense history. A decades-long battle for independence ended with Eritrea officially seceding from Ethiopia in 1993, but the relationship soured again after the border war that killed over 100,000 people in the late 1990s.
In recent years, Ethiopian troops fought alongside Eritrean forces to support the government during a civil war in Ethiopia's Tigray region. However, Eritrea was excluded from the peace deal that ended the conflict in November 2022, leading to renewed tensions between the two nations.
The situation is further complicated by Ethiopia's growing demands for access to the Red Sea through Eritrea, which has sparked a diplomatic crisis. The latest allegations suggest that Eritrea may be trying to support armed rebels in northern Ethiopia as part of a broader strategy to undermine Abiy Ahmed's government.
Overall, the seizure of the ammunition highlights the deepening tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea, two nations with a complex and often fraught history.
, you know that one place that makes the most epic burgers? I swear, their secret sauce is out of this world! Anyway, back to this news... it's crazy how countries can have such a complicated history with each other. Like, remember when I traveled to Japan last year and visited this tiny village where they still make traditional crafts by hand? It was so fascinating to see the craftsmanship go into every little detail... but what does that have to do with anything, right? 
the thought of all that ammo being seized is just crazy 
like what's gonna happen next?!? the red sea situation is already super volatile 
and now it seems like egyptria might be trying to support armed rebels in amhara region...that's just not good news 
.
56k rounds of ammo is a lot, like, who needs that much for one side of a conflict? also, remember when abiy ahmed said accessing the red sea was an existential thing? 
yeah let's not forget about that. i think both sides are just trying to get attention and it's making things worse. we should be keeping an eye on this situation but at the same time... 
abiy ahmed needs to come clean about what's really going on in his country. eritrea's not exactly innocent either, they've been playing the victim for far too long 
and now we're back to square one... 56k rounds of ammo is a lot to just "misdeliver" 
let's get real here
this situation is getting out of hand fam 
and the fact that eritrea is denying sending any ammo to the rebels... yeah, no kidding 
.
. for real tho, this could get ugly real fast 
I'm freaking out rn! 
What if it's true tho? 
. However, the real issue at hand is the growing demands for access to the Red Sea through Eritrea, which has sparked a diplomatic crisis 
. The fact that Ethiopia's access to the sea is being framed as an existential matter is particularly concerning 
what's going on in eritrea's info min Yemane Gebremeskel? is he serious with this "ethiopia's trying to find a pretext" line? 
and btw, why are egyptians not speaking out about this? shouldn't they be worried too? 
. Can we trust that he's not just using these conflicts as a way to distract us from the real issues at home? 
It's time for some tough questions and critical thinking, folks! 
I'm telling you, this is a total mess... 
. We need to think about all the innocent civilians who could get caught in the middle of this conflict... it's heartbreaking to even think about 
, can't even trust them to just chill on their own side of the border... abiy ahmed is right to speak up against this. doesn't mean a war but it's time for some serious backroom diplomacy 
. red sea access is key here, and if eritrea isn't willing to work with them, they're gonna be stuck in neutral 