In the ongoing struggle for control of Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region, both Ethiopia and Eritrea have appealed to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for assistance.

On Friday, citing Article 51 of the UN Charter, Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos said his country was making use of its right to exercise self-defense measures against Eritrea.

Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of deploying infantry and mechanized units in recent weeks and supporting, financing, arming and directing insurgent groups.

On Saturday, Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh, who rejected Ethiopia’s accusations, responded in a letter, writing, “Eritrea requests the UN Security Council to forcefully condemn Ethiopia’s deplorable declaration of war against Eritrea… and take the requisite deterrent measures,” asking the international body to invoke Chapter VII of ​the ⁠UN Charter, which allows measures ⁠from ​sanctions to military action.

Saleh said Ethiopia’s actions could cause, “huge devastation to the peoples of both countries and destabilize the region.”

The new rebel alliance transforming the Tigray conflict

Last month, Tigrayan rebel groups announced they had joined forces to oust Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, swiftly launching major attacks on Ethiopian government forces and seizing regional airports.

Since then, Ethiopian troops have driven back Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) militants and taken control of large parts of the region, including the capital, Mekelle.

Recent fighting, which broke a 2022 peace agreement, and this weekend’s exchange of accusations only deepen the growing rift between Ethiopia and Eritrea, who were allies in a bloody 2020-2022 border war that saw them team up against TPLF rebels.

The developments also come as Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed reiterates his landlocked country’s need for access to the Red Sea — a demand he repeated on Monday — and which Eritrea regards as a direct threat to its sovereignty.

Ethiopia’s broken Tigray peace deal opens old wounds