Ethiopia and Eritrea trade accusations before the Security Council as another deadly strike hits displaced families in Sudan.
By Ramesh Jaura
BERLIN | ADDIS ABABA | KHARTOUM (IDN) — Wars in Ethiopia and Sudan are testing how far the United Nations can act when appeals for restraint are ignored.
Ethiopia and Eritrea have carried their rapidly escalating dispute to the Security Council. Farther west, a drone strike in Sudan’s Blue Nile state has killed dozens of displaced civilians, including women and children.
Although the conflicts have different origins, civilians in both countries are paying for failed agreements and delayed diplomacy.
Ethiopia told the Security Council that Eritrean troops had advanced as far as 60 kilometres into its territory. It described the reported incursion as an “all-out invasion” and asserted its right to self-defence.
Eritrea denied the allegation and submitted its own letter to the Council. It accused Ethiopia of manufacturing a pretext for war. It asked for condemnation and “deterrent measures” under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which permits action ranging from sanctions to military force.
The Council has received two irreconcilable accounts of the same confrontation. Each government wants the other to recognise it as the aggressor, while neither appears willing to accept an independent account that might contradict its claims.
From peace to confrontation
Only eight years ago, Ethiopia and Eritrea signed a peace agreement after two decades of hostility. The agreement helped Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
Eritrean forces later fought beside Ethiopia’s federal army during the 2020–2022 Tigray war. Relations deteriorated as the conflict approached its end, and Ethiopia’s declared desire for sovereign access to the Red Sea created further suspicion.
The latest fighting began inside Ethiopia in September. Federal forces confronted an alliance led by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front across Tigray, Amhara and Afar. Reports that Eritrean troops had crossed the border, followed by suspected Ethiopian strikes against them, raised fears of another interstate war.
Ethiopian forces and allied fighters have entered Adigrat after reported Eritrean units withdrew from positions around the city. Troop positions may still change, but the accusations exchanged by the two governments have sharply reduced room for compromise.
Secretary-General António Guterres has called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and a return to talks under the Pretoria Agreement, which ended the earlier Tigray war. He reminded regional governments that the UN Charter prohibits threats or force against states’ territorial integrity and political independence.
His offer of good offices could assist diplomatic efforts, but cooperation from the African Union will be essential. The AU mediated the Pretoria accord and may have more room to act than a Security Council divided by the interests of its permanent members.
Displaced families attacked in Sudan
In Sudan, civilians who had already fled fighting were struck at a displacement site in Blue Nile state, near the Ethiopian border. Local monitors reported at least 31 deaths, while other accounts placed the toll above 40. Women and young children were among the victims.
The Rapid Support Forces were accused of carrying out the drone attack, although responsibility had not been independently established. UN Humanitarian Coordinator Denise Brown condemned the strike and demanded accountability. UNICEF said at least five children under ten were among those killed.
It followed a series of attacks on civilians and relief operations. Armed drones have become a prominent weapon in Sudan’s war between the national army and the RSF. The UN reported that drone strikes by the opposing sides killed more than 1,000 civilians during the first five months of 2026.
Aid workers and supplies have also been attacked. An earlier aerial strike on clearly marked World Food Programme trucks in South Kordofan killed a driver and interrupted relief deliveries.
Sudan’s war, which began in April 2023, has produced one of the world’s largest displacement and hunger emergencies. Places intended to shelter uprooted families are increasingly caught within the conflict rather than protected from it.
The UN can record casualties, condemn attacks and deliver assistance where security conditions permit. It cannot enforce a ceasefire or protect every displacement site without cooperation from combatants, regional governments and Security Council members.
The same constraint applies to the Ethiopia–Eritrea confrontation. Guterres can offer mediation, while humanitarian agencies can warn of the consequences. Neither can compel armies to withdraw or governments to negotiate.
Early action remains possible through the African Union, the UN and neighbouring states. Yet each day of delay increases the danger that armed confrontation will become harder to contain. Previous wars in Tigray and Sudan have shown that civilians pay the highest price long before international diplomacy produces an agreement. (IDN-InDepthNews)
Sources: Reuters, 10 October 2026; United Nations, 10 October 2026; Associated Press, 10 October 2026