Arch-rivals Ethiopia and Eritrea traded blame on Monday for a border battle in which “significant” casualties were reported, one of the worst clashes since the end of a 1998-2000 border war.
“There were significant casualties on both sides, but more on the Eritrean side,” Ethiopian Government spokesman Getachew Reda told AFP.
He said the battle that began on Sunday was one of the most serious in recent years, noting that while the two sides had exchanged gun fire in the past, this clash was on a far larger scale. The fighting had reportedly calmed on Monday.
“We used to take precautionary measures against this regime, but this time was much more important in terms of magnitude than the measures that were taken so far,” Getachew added. Both sides blamed the other. Ethiopia on Sunday “unleashed an attack against Eritrea on the Tsorona Central Front,” Eritrea’s Ministry of Information said in a statement.
Getachew instead claimed the fighting started when Eritrean artillery fired shells across the border.
“Eritrean forces started shelling our positions, including civilian ambulances, and we responded,” said Getachew, who had initially claimed no knowledge of the fighting.