Eritrea’s Minister of Information, Yemane Gebremeskel, has accused the Ethiopian government of launching an unwarranted and intensive campaign of provocation against Eritrea in recent months. According to Minister Yemane, Ethiopia is the origin and center of the problems surrounding the region, and he added that Eritrea has no interest in “interfering in the internal affairs” of Ethiopia.

Mr. Yemane, the spokesperson of the Eritrean government, made this allegation yesterday, February 18, 2025, in an article posted on his official X page. The article, written in ten points, is a response to the article published by the former President of Ethiopia, Mulatu Teshome, on the Al Jazeera website on Monday.

Former Ethiopian President Dr. Mulatu’s comment accuses Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki of “brewing conflict” in Ethiopia and the neighboring countries. In his article, Dr. Mulatu stated that President Isaias has been “involved in numerous conflicts” far from his country’s borders over the past 30 years and that his troops “entered the region and caused destruction” during the Tigray war.

The former president mentioned that the signing of the Pretoria Agreement, which ended the Tigray war, was a setback for President Isaias. Dr. Mulatu added that Isaias wanted to continue the endless conflict in the Tigray region of Ethiopia and accused him of organizing militias in the Amhara region to undermine the Pretoria Agreement.

In his article on Al Jazeera, Dr. Mulatu asked the international community to put diplomatic pressure on leaders like President Isaias, pointing out that “the damage of a new conflict in Ethiopia will not end only within the borders of Africa.”

Responding to this article, Minister Yemane criticized Dr. Mulatu, saying that he “raises a false -flag alarm to accuse Eritrea of stoking a new conflict in the Horn of Africa.”

In his post on his X page, Minister Yemane also pointed out that the Pretoria Agreement, which ended the Tigray war, is a matter for the Ethiopian government and its local actors.

He defended against the allegations of obstructing the Pretoria Agreement, presented by the former Ethiopian president, stating that Eritrea has no desire to interfere in Ethiopia’s internal affairs.

According to Minister Yemane, the Ethiopian government is doing this as part of its agenda to obtain ports and sea access, either legally or, if necessary, by military means.

The spokesperson for the Eritrean government also mentioned that the unclear memorandum of understanding signed by the Ethiopian government with Somaliland has created sudden instability and unrest in the region. He also noted that “Ethiopia is embroiled in another vicious internal war in the Amhara region.”

Minister Yemane stated that the innumerable problems surrounding the region originate and center in Ethiopia, not elsewhere. He announced on his X page that the source of the conflict in Ethiopia cannot be solved by pretending the conflict’s source is external or by making Eritrea a scapegoat.

However, despite the Eritrean government committing terrible atrocities during the genocide war, it is still occupying many territories in the Tigray region and continues to commit serious human rights violations.