Ethiopia Accuses Sudan, Egypt and Eritrea of Backing Rebels as Fighting Spreads in the North
Ethiopia’s government says Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt are backing armed groups as fighting spreads again across northern Ethiopia.
Army chief Field Marshal Birhanu Jula named Sudan and Egypt directly and accused Eritrea of serving as a go-between linking them to armed groups inside Ethiopia. Al Jazeera He said Cairo and Khartoum back a new alliance trying to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Euronews He also accused Sudan, Egypt and other parties of supporting groups hostile to Addis Ababa. Sudan Tribune
Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt all deny the claims. Sudan’s military called them “baseless.” Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nader Zaki said Egypt’s policy rests on “full respect for sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of states and noninterference in internal affairs.” Al Jazeera
Sudan answered with its own charge. Khartoum accuses Ethiopia of backing the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary force, meaning an armed group outside the regular army, fighting Sudan’s army since 2023. Since that war began, Sudan has accused Ethiopia of providing training, supplies and territory for the RSF. Ethiopia denies it. Al Jazeera
Ethiopian pro-government forces claimed they captured a strategic town in Tigray on September 28, 2026. Reuters Sudan’s army denied backing Tigray fighters as fighting raged. Al Jazeera
Eritrea fought alongside Ethiopia against Tigray rebel groups in the 2020 to 2022 war. Cairo and Addis Ababa remain at odds over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), a major Nile hydropower project Ethiopia supports and Egypt opposes over water concerns. Al Jazeera
On March 3, 2026, Sudan accused Ethiopia for the first time of involvement in Sudan’s civil war, saying drones were launched from Ethiopian territory for February and March 2026 attacks. Reuters Earlier, Ethiopia denied Sudan’s claim its army captured and executed seven Sudanese soldiers and a civilian in June 2022. Reuters
The broader context here is a reciprocal blame pattern. Each capital attributes armed pressure at home to foreign backing while denying its own cross-border role. That symmetry complicates verification and raises the cost of compromise, since concessions can read as admissions.
Looking at what this means for regional stability, the risk is spillover. Northern Ethiopia, eastern Sudan and the GERD dispute link security plans in Addis Ababa, Khartoum, Cairo and Asmara. If fighting lasts and rival claims continue, mediation gets harder. Observers will watch troop moves, border steps and any verifiable evidence.
