The African Union has stepped in to urge Ethiopia, Eritrea and Egypt to avoid further escalation as worsening tensions and renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia raise fears of a broader crisis in the Horn of Africa.
In a statement issued on October 1, 2026, the AU Commission said it was monitoring developments involving the three countries and called for restraint to prevent the situation from threatening regional peace and stability.
“The African Union Commission is closely following with concern the heightened tensions between Ethiopia, Eritrea and Egypt,” the continental body said.
The warning followed a sharp deterioration in relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea, with Addis Ababa announcing the closure of its embassy in Asmara and ordering 10 Eritrean diplomats to leave the country.
Ethiopia accused Eritrea of engaging in activities it considered a threat to its national security.
Eritrea rejected the allegations and responded by cutting diplomatic ties with Ethiopia, accusing its neighbour of pursuing a hostile agenda.
The diplomatic crisis has unfolded alongside renewed violence in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region, where federal forces are facing an alliance of armed opposition groups led by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).
The fighting has revived fears of a repeat of the 2020-2022 Tigray conflict, which ended with the Pretoria peace agreement but failed to remove longstanding political and security tensions involving Ethiopia, Tigray and Eritrea.
The latest clashes reportedly began in September after the TPLF joined six other armed groups in an alliance aimed at challenging Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government.
Fighting has been reported in Tigray and surrounding areas, prompting concerns that the conflict could develop into a wider regional confrontation.
Ethiopian military officials have accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of backing the armed opposition alliance. Ethiopia's army chief, Field Marshal Birhanu Jula, alleged that Eritrea was serving as a connection between foreign actors and armed groups operating within Ethiopia.
Both Eritrea and Egypt have rejected the allegations.
Egypt has maintained that its foreign policy respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states and opposes interference in the internal affairs of other countries.
The tensions between Egypt and Ethiopia also extend to the long-running dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which Ethiopia constructed on the Blue Nile.
Cairo has repeatedly objected to what it considers unilateral management of the dam, saying its operation could affect Egypt's Nile water supplies.
Addis Ababa, however, maintains that the project is primarily aimed at producing electricity and supporting economic development.
Despite years of negotiations, the GERD dispute remains unresolved and has increasingly intersected with broader security concerns in the Horn of Africa and around the Red Sea.
Ethiopia's relationship with Eritrea has followed a similarly difficult path since diplomatic ties were restored in 2018.
The rapprochement initially brought an end to years of hostility after Abiy Ahmed became prime minister and signed a peace agreement with Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki.
Relations later deteriorated, with Ethiopia's repeated calls for dependable access to the Red Sea becoming a major source of concern for Eritrea.
As a landlocked country, Ethiopia has continued to stress the importance of securing access to the sea, while Eritrea has viewed some of Addis Ababa's statements and initiatives with concern.
Reports of explosions in Addis Ababa, coupled with continued fighting in northern Ethiopia, have added to fears that the latest domestic conflict could extend beyond Ethiopia's borders.
The AU has therefore called on the three countries to maintain dialogue and use diplomatic channels to manage their differences.
“The Commission further underscores the importance of preserving channels of communication and urges the three countries to address their differences through established diplomatic channels and peaceful dialogue, in accordance with the principles of the Constitutive Act of the African Union,” the AU said.
The continental organisation also said it was prepared to assist efforts aimed at easing the tensions.
“The AU Commission stands ready, in consultation with the countries concerned, to support efforts towards de-escalation, dialogue and the peaceful resolution of differences.”
The appeal comes as Ethiopia's internal fighting, its strained ties with Eritrea and the unresolved GERD dispute with Egypt increasingly overlap, raising concerns over possible consequences for stability across the wider Horn of Africa.