Isaias Afwerki

Force in Play

Accused of directing mass atrocities; building regional alliances against Ethiopia

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed won the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for ending a 20-year standoff with Eritrea. Now he's publicly accusing Eritrean troops of massacring Ethiopian civilians during their joint war against Tigray—a war they fought together as allies. In a February 3 address to parliament, Abiy stated Eritrean forces 'massacred our youth in Axum, looted factories in Adwa, and uprooted our factories,' marking the first time Ethiopian leadership has officially acknowledged Eritrean atrocities documented by human rights groups since 2020. Critically, Abiy reframed the Ethiopia-Eritrea rift as rooted in these Tigray-era crimes rather than his push for Red Sea access, claiming he had sent envoys to Eritrea during the war urging them to halt the killings. Eritrea's Information Minister dismissed the claims as 'cheap and despicable lies' and accused Abiy of using atrocity allegations as cover for a 'reckless and illicit war agenda.'

Updated Feb 5