• Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of preparing to wage war in collusion with Tigray's TPLF.
• The accusations were made in a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
• Relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea have deteriorated amid disputes over Red Sea access.
• Ethiopia's Foreign Minister describes "collusion" between Eritrea and TPLF factions.
• Past conflicts have left a bloody history between the two nations, notably the 1998-2000 border war.

Ethiopia has accused the Eritrean government of collaborating with the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) to prepare for a military offensive, illustrating the rising tensions between the two countries. This claim was made by Ethiopia's Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos in a letter sent to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Timothewos stated that the "collusion" has become increasingly evident over recent months, stating, "The hardliner faction of the TPLF and the Eritrean government are actively preparing to wage war against Ethiopia," according to Al Jazeera and BBC.

The Ethiopian government claims that Eritrea and the TPLF are "funding, mobilizing and directing armed groups" in Ethiopia's Amhara region, where conflict has been ongoing. The assertion highlights a concerning escalation amidst Ethiopia's attempts to restore access to the Red Sea, access lost after Eritrea's independence in 1993. "There is a history of bloody conflict and hostility between the two nations, particularly during the border war from 1998 to 2000, which resulted in tens of thousands of deaths," according to Africanews and BBC.

Despite previous efforts to thaw relations, such as Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's peace initiative following his rise to power in 2018, the climate between the two countries has severely deteriorated. According to Timothewos, Ethiopia remains open to negotiations to resolve the tensions over sea access, which have become a significant point of contention between the nations. The Ethiopian foreign minister also accused Eritrea of trying to destabilize Ethiopia while expressing aspirations for a "shared prosperity through integration," according to Al Jazeera and Africanews.