Ethiopia's federal government has not commented on the tensions. Eritrea's information minister dismissed Tsadkan's warnings as "war-mongering psychosis". However, Eritrea ordered a nationwide military mobilisation in mid-February, according to UK-based Human Rights Concern - Eritrea.

As tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea escalate, the region of Tigray stands at the heart of a looming conflict, writes one of the leaders of the armed struggle in Tigray against the Derg.

Clashes between rival factions in the Ethiopian region of Tigray have raised the spectre of a new war between Ethiopia and Eritrea, analysts and residents said Thursday. Disputes between rival factions have intensified alongside deteriorating relations between Eritrea and Ethiopia since the peace deal.

Officials administering Ethiopia's Tigray region asked for federal help on Wednesday as a faction of the main regional party seized control of a town, stoking fears of a return to conflict in the war-scarred region.

Ethiopia with its over 125 million people had been the biggest beneficiary of U.S. aid in sub-Saharan Africa, receiving $1.8 billion in the 2023 financial year.