Ambassador Sophia Tesfamariam with with Mike Waltz, left, and Jeffrey Bartos. Photo: Ambassador Sophia/X
In a statement posted on X on 20 October, Sophia said she held “constructive engagements” with Mike Waltz, the US permanent representative to the UN, and Jeffrey Bartos, the US representative to the UN for Management and Reform, to discuss developments in the Horn of Africa and present Asmara’s position on the region’s deteriorating security situation.
Over the last two weeks, the two countries exchanged accusations at the United Nations over their deteriorating relations.
Ethiopia sent a letter to the UN Security Council in early October accusing Eritrean forces of an “all-out invasion” of parts of Tigray in northern Ethiopia and invoking its right to self-defence.
Eritrea rejected Ethiopia’s account and, in its own communication to the Council, accused Addis Abeba of threatening a war of aggression over Red Sea access.
The two governments’ competing accounts have emerged alongside renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia and heightened fears of a broader regional conflict.
Sophia said she had “reiterated that there is no ‘crisis’ between Eritrea and Ethiopia” and argued that the international community should pay closer attention to developments within Ethiopia. She urged Addis Abeba to “respect Eritrea’s sovereign territories and stop diverting attention from its domestic issues.”
She called on countries with influence in the region to act “responsibly and proactively” to prevent a wider conflict, cautioning them against making statements that could embolden Ethiopia’s leadership.
