Ethiopia has formally accused neighboring Eritrea of gearing up for conflict, alleging in a United Nations letter that Asmara is teaming with domestic rebels to destabilize the region and challenge Addis Ababa's push for Red Sea access.

Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos penned the October 2 missive to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, claiming Eritrea is "funding, mobilizing and directing armed groups" alongside the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), a northern opposition faction.

The charges extend to alleged backing of militants in the Amhara region, where Ethiopian forces have clashed with insurgents since 2023, exacerbating a humanitarian toll that includes thousands displaced and civilian casualties.

Eritrea has offered no immediate rebuttal, leaving the allegations to simmer against a backdrop of fraying ties.

The Horn of Africa neighbors, once bitter foes in a 1998-2000 border war that claimed up to 100,000 lives, saw a brief thaw under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who clinched the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for ending the standoff. Yet Ethiopia's recent overtures for a Red Sea port—lost with Eritrea's 1993 independence—have reignited friction, with Addis Ababa eyeing commercial deals or leases to ease its landlocked constraints.

Timothewos framed the accusations as a call for dialogue, expressing hope that talks could resolve the port impasse without escalation. "Ethiopia remains committed to peaceful negotiations," he wrote, while underscoring the risks of unchecked provocations.

The TPLF, once a dominant force in Ethiopia's coalition government, turned adversary after the 2020-2022 Tigray war that killed hundreds of thousands and drew Eritrean troops into the fray on Abiy's side.