Eritrea has dismissed an accusation by Ethiopia that it is preparing to launch a war as "provocative sabre-rattling" amid mounting tensions between the two neighbours. This comes after the Ethiopian foreign minister wrote a letter to UN chief Antonio Guterres, accusing Eritrea of colluding with the hardliner faction of the banned Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and funding armed groups in Ethiopia's Amhara region. The latest clash highlights escalating tensions, specifically over Ethiopia's desire to regain access to the Red Sea, which it legally lost upon Eritrea's independence in 1993. Amid mounting tensions between the two Horn of Africa neighbours, Eritrea has been strengthening ties with Ethiopia's rival, Egypt.
