US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has thrown Washington’s weight behind calming the standoff between Ethiopia and Eritrea. In a phone call with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Wednesday, October 14, he backed “de-escalation by all sides”, according to a State Department readout cited by Anadolu Agency.
A call built around the 2018 peace framework
The readout said the only sustainable answer to tensions inside and between the two countries is dialogue and engagement, as agreed in the 2018 Ethiopia-Eritrea peace framework. Rubio also stressed that every country in the Horn of Africa must respect its neighbors’ sovereignty and territorial integrity and avoid cross-border incursions. His blunt summary: the region cannot tolerate more conflict.
Abiy, for his part, called the conversation “very fruitful”. Writing on X, he said the two had covered key bilateral, regional and multilateral issues, and that he welcomed the assurance of continued US support for Ethiopia.
Troops on both sides of the border
Days later, Rubio spoke to reporters at Joint Base Andrews, and his tone was more anxious. “You see troops surging on both sides of the border,” he said. “And anytime you see troops on both sides of the border in a place like that, you’re always worried that that can turn into a broader conflict.” The Reporter Ethiopia said he warned that the confrontation could grow into a regional war, and urged the Ethiopian government to show restraint.
Rubio traced the first flare-up to attacks by what he called separatists inside Ethiopia, followed by a military response from Addis Ababa. That renewed fighting in the north has fed fears of wider instability across the Horn of Africa, a region where ordinary families have already lived through years of war.
He was also pressed on whether Washington had made a mistake by lifting certain sanctions shortly before the latest violence. Rubio defended the move. The measures were targeted, he said, and the US hoped easing them would open lines of communication with Eritrea. Washington has stepped up its engagement with Asmara in recent months, he added, and he considers direct talks with both governments vital to stopping a slide into war. He told reporters he had acknowledged Ethiopia’s legitimate security concerns on the call with Abiy while urging a measured response. “The last thing the world needs right now is another war,” he said, warning that a wider conflict could pull in neighboring states.
Old allies, sharp falling-out
The two governments fought on the same side in the Tigray war of 2020 to 2022. Relations then soured fast, and each now accuses the other of threatening regional stability. Ethiopia’s push for access to the Red Sea, especially through the Eritrean port of Assab, which Asmara insists is its sovereign territory, has sharpened the quarrel.
Sources
- Rubio backs Ethiopia-Eritrea de-escalation — Anadolu Agency
- Rubio backs Ethiopia-Eritrea 'de-escalation' in call with Ethiopian premier
- Rubio Urges Restraint As Ethiopia-Eritrea Tensions Risk Wider Regional War | The Reporter Ethiopia
