Armed clashes near Badme between Ethiopia and Eritrea
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Mali Actu
Intense armed clashes have resumed near Badme, with Ethiopian drone strikes and Eritrean heavy artillery fire, according to the ACLED conflict observatory and the Critical Threats Project. Foreign ministers of the G7, meeting in Paris, have called on both countries to show restraint, while direct channels between Addis Ababa and Asmara have been cut, according to Mali Actu.
Armed clashes have resumed near Badme, a disputed border town between Ethiopia and Eritrea, in which Ethiopia used drones to strike and Eritrea used heavy artillery fire. Recent publications by ACLED and the Critical Threats Project, relayed by Mali Actu, describe Ethiopian federal units and the Eritrean army in direct confrontation on very unstable ground.
Badme triggered the 1998-2000 border war, which left tens of thousands dead. Addis Ababa, which wants access to the Red Sea under its full sovereignty, and the repercussions of the conflict in Tigray are fuelling these tensions today, while the 2018 reconciliation agreement is faltering.
Foreign ministers of the G7, meeting in Paris, expressed deep concern and called on both countries to show restraint. But no one exercises clear control on the ground, and the cutting of direct dialogue channels between Asmara, the Eritrean capital, and Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, makes any rapid de-escalation difficult.
