Renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia is drawing in the country’s disputes with Egypt, Sudan and Eritrea, raising fears that its internal conflict could spread across the region.
Ethiopia’s army chief has accused Egypt and Sudan of supporting a new alliance of armed groups trying to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, saying the groups could not succeed unless they were “pushed, supported and supplied” from abroad.
Field Marshal Birhanu Jula also accused Eritrea of acting as a link between foreign backers and armed groups inside Ethiopia. He made the comments in an interview with the Ethiopian army’s media outlet.
Birhanu did not provide evidence for the accusation. Egypt and Sudan had not publicly responded by Sunday morning.
The alliance announced last Sunday brings together seven groups, including the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, the Oromo Liberation Army and the Amhara Fano National Movement. Its members say they want to remove Abiy’s government and establish a transitional administration.
The accusation comes as fighting has resumed in northern Ethiopia. Tigrayan forces have seized airports and clashed with federal troops in the neighbouring Amhara and Afar regions.
UN human rights chief Volker Türk has called for an urgent end to the fighting, warning that Ethiopia could return to full-scale war.
Nile dam dispute adds to tensions with Egypt
Birhanu’s accusation against Egypt follows a new exchange between Cairo and Addis Ababa over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, or GERD, on the Blue Nile.
Egyptian Water Resources Minister Hani Sewilam said last week that Ethiopian politicians needed to understand that building a dam on a shared river was “not like laying a carpet in their homes”.
He rejected Ethiopia’s argument that decisions about the dam fall solely under its national sovereignty.
Ethiopia’s Water and Energy Ministry responded two days later, saying Sewilam’s remarks reflected a “crude colonial mentality”. It accused Cairo of acting as though its approval was required before countries farther up the Nile could use the river’s water.
Egypt and Sudan want a legally binding agreement covering how the dam is operated, particularly during long periods of drought, as well as the sharing of information about water releases.
Ethiopia says the dam is essential for producing electricity and supporting the country’s development. It maintains that it will not cause significant harm to Egypt or Sudan.
Egypt relies on the Nile for more than 90% of its freshwater. Ethiopia formally inaugurated the GERD in September 2025 without reaching a binding agreement with the two countries.
Relations with Sudan and Eritrea have also worsened
Tensions between Ethiopia and Sudan rose in May after Sudan accused Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates of involvement in drone attacks on Khartoum airport.
Sudan said the drones had taken off from Ethiopia’s Bahir Dar airport. Ethiopia rejected the accusation as baseless and accused Sudan of supporting Tigrayan fighters. Neither side’s accusation has been independently verified.
Eritrea fought alongside Ethiopia’s federal army against Tigrayan forces during the 2020–2022 war. Relations between Addis Ababa and Asmara later deteriorated following the peace agreement that ended the conflict.
Ethiopia’s government now accuses Eritrea of supporting members of the new armed alliance. Eritrea has repeatedly denied the allegation.
Source: www.euronews.com
