Ethiopia blames regional rivals as risk of conflict spillover rises

By Al-Nour Ahmed Al-Nour and Mohamed KhayalPublished On 29 Sep 202629 Sep 2026As renewed fighting spreads across northern Ethiopia, the government has accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of backing armed opposition groups, raising fears that the conflict could draw in regional powers.Over the weekend, Ethiopian army chief Birhanu Jula attributed his country’s unrest to those he called Ethiopia’s “historical and contemporary adversaries”.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Ethiopia’s army promises restraint amid fears of new civil warlist 2 of 3Ethiopia accuses Sudan, Egypt of backing Tigray rebels as fighting rageslist 3 of 3Fighting in Ethiopia intensifies: What’s the latest?end of listBirhanu accused Eritrea of being the go-between linking these external powers – including Sudan and Egypt, which he explicitly named – with armed groups inside Ethiopia.Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt have all rejected the accusations. Speaking to Al Jazeera, Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nader Zaki said that Egypt’s foreign policy was founded on “full respect for the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of states, and noninterference in the internal affairs of other countries”.Zaki...