The Ethiopian government has accused Eritrea, Sudan, and Egypt of supporting armed opposition groups as renewed fighting spreads across northern Ethiopia, raising concerns about potential regional conflict. Ethiopian army chief Birhanu Jula attributed the unrest to what he termed Ethiopia's "historical and contemporary adversaries," specifically naming Eritrea, Sudan, and Egypt as external backers of these groups.
In response, officials from Eritrea, Sudan, and Egypt have rejected these accusations. Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nader Zaki stated that Egypt's foreign policy is based on respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, emphasizing noninterference in internal affairs. Major-General Samir Farag, a former head of the Egyptian Armed Forces’ Morale Affairs Department, also denied the allegations, asserting that Egypt does not interfere in the internal matters of other countries.
Sudan's military dismissed the accusations as "baseless" and accused Ethiopia of supporting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has been in conflict with the Sudanese Armed Forces since 2023. Ethiopia has denied these claims.
The relations between Ethiopia and the countries it has accused have been strained due to various disputes, including the unresolved issue of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) between Egypt and Ethiopia, and accusations from Sudan regarding Ethiopia's support for the RSF.
Analysts and some Ethiopian opposition figures suggest that the Ethiopian government may be using these accusations to rally support for its national army amid domestic challenges. Mohamed Selim, deputy chair of the Egyptian parliament’s African Affairs Committee, indicated that the accusations could be an attempt to divert attention from Ethiopia's internal problems by creating an external enemy.
Amani al-Tawil, director of the Africa Programme at the Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies, described the accusations as an understandable response to internal crises. The renewed fighting has spread across Tigray and into neighboring Amhara and Afar regions, which together have an estimated population of over 38 million, raising fears of a potential regional conflict.
Ammar Arki, a writer focusing on Horn of Africa affairs, noted that Ethiopia has previously blamed Sudan, Egypt, and Eritrea for instability within its borders. He warned that framing the internal crisis as an external conspiracy could increase the risk of the conflict spilling over into neighboring countries.