Eritrea says Abiy Ahmed’s remarks justify “reckless and illicit war agenda”

Eritrea’s Information Minister, Yemane Gebremeskel, has said claims made by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to parliament were intended “to justify his reckless and illicit war agenda against Eritrea”.

In a post on X, Yemane said the Ethiopian government had repeatedly praised the Eritrean army and awarded it state medals during the war and for some time afterwards.

His comments came a day after Prime Minister Abiy accused the Eritrean army of committing atrocities during the Tigray conflict.

Speaking to parliament on Tuesday, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said: “The rift did not begin with the Red Sea issue, as many people think. It started in the first round of the war in Tigray, when the Eritrean army followed us into Shire, began demolishing houses, massacred our youth in Axum, looted factories in Adwa, and uprooted our industries.”

Eritrea’s Information Minister responded, saying: “The Potemkin Party’s ugly trademark of deception and duplicity was grotesquely on display at the session of the House of People’s Representatives today.”

“The cheap and despicable lies that the Potemkin Party has concocted today in fact stems from, and is brazenly designed to, camouflage and rationalize its subsequent war agenda against Eritrea under the rubric of “sovereign access to the sea,” he added.

Eritrea’s Information Minister, Yemane Gebremeskel, has rejected that Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s remarks to parliament were intended “to justify his reckless and illicit war agenda against Eritrea.”

He added that during the war when allied forces began taking control of Tigray’s cities, Eritrean troops had demolished homes, looted properties, destroyed industries and seized machinery in places such as Adwa, Aksum, Adigrat and Shire.

In a post published on his X page, Yemane wrote that the PP’s leader and his top military brass were profusely showering immense praises as well as offering State Medals of profound gratitude to the Eritrean army both during the war and for a long time thereafter.