Ethiopia has accused neighbouring Eritrea of backing efforts to destabilise its government through renewed fighting in the country's north, alleging that Egypt is also providing military assistance to the forces involved, in claims made by the Ethiopian military chief on Saturday.

Source: Al Jazeera English, Nov 14, 2026

Field Marshal Birhanu Jula, Ethiopia's military chief, claimed that Eritrea was coordinating attacks with armed groups against federal military positions in Amhara and Afar. “The offensive was led by Eritrea, with logistical support and military supplies provided by Egypt. The ultimate objective was to unite these forces to destroy Ethiopia and overthrow its government,” he said, according to Anadolu Agency reporting carried by The Eastleigh Voice.

Source: The Eastleigh Voice (via Anadolu), Nov 14, 2026

Birhanu named the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the Amhara-based Fano militia, the Oromo Liberation Front, Egypt and Sudan as parties allegedly involved in a proposed alliance to bring down Addis Ababa. He said Ethiopian troops stopped the latest attacks, which he described as the fourth round of assaults against government positions, and claimed that commanders involved in the operation had escaped into Eritrea. “Our forces managed to repel the offensive,” he said.

He also accused Tigrayan authorities of forcing young people into military mobilisation, claiming that up to 800,000 had fled the region to avoid recruitment. None of these claims — the Eritrea-led offensive, Egypt's supplies, or the mobilisation figure — has been independently verified, and this report presents them as the Ethiopian military's allegations, not as established fact.

Denials, broken embassies and the Red Sea

Egypt has repeatedly denied involvement in Ethiopia's internal conflict, rejecting accusations that it supports armed groups fighting the federal government. Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said in October that Cairo had no role in the fighting and accused Addis Ababa of shifting attention from its domestic problems by blaming outside powers. The dispute has already hit diplomacy: Ethiopia expelled an Egyptian diplomat in October and Cairo replied in kind; Addis Ababa also ordered its embassy in Asmara closed and expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats, and Eritrea severed relations and appealed to the UN Security Council, accusing Ethiopia of threatening military aggression.

At the centre of the Ethiopia–Eritrea dispute is Addis Ababa's demand for access to the Red Sea. Ethiopia became landlocked when Eritrea gained independence in 1993 and depends heavily on Djibouti for shipping. Ethiopia argues sea access is vital to its economic and security interests; Eritrea reads those statements as a threat to its sovereignty.

What happens next depends on whether the alleged offensive produces evidence either side puts before the African Union or the UN — and on whether the G7's escalation warning, issued after the November 11 accusations, is now followed by mediation. For now, the Horn of Africa has two governments describing an offensive that only one of them says happened.