Ethiopia's military chief, Field Marshal Birhanu Jula, accused neighbouring Eritrea of orchestrating an alliance of armed groups and regional powers to destabilise the country and launch a new offensive,
Jula was speaking at a meeting with community representatives in Mekelle, Tigray.
The Ethiopian military chief alleged that Eritrea formed the alliance by coordinating and consulting with Fano, Shene OLF, Sudan, and Egypt, with the ultimate objective that all these forces would create a united front and bury Ethiopia.
He claimed Eritrea planned to turn northern Ethiopia into a battlefield to protect its own territory and undermine the federal government.
Jula also alleged that an offensive had been launched across several areas of northern Ethiopia with Egyptian logistical support.
He said under the leadership of Shabiya, with Egyptian logistics and supplies, a fourth round of invasion was carried out in Tekulesh, Injafat, Key Afer, Seqota, and from Ab'ala.
The military chief further accused local authorities of forcibly recruiting young people, claiming that up to 800,000 had fled Tigray for other parts of Ethiopia.
"Because Tigrayan youths were being rounded up and harassed, the majority of them fled to the central part of the country to their homeland, and I recall that, according to available data, up to 800,000 youths left Tigray and were dispersed across Addis Ababa, Adama, Dire Dawa, Hawassa, Asosa, and Gambella."
Jula accused Eritrea's leadership of exploiting Ethiopia's internal divisions as part of a long-term strategy to destabilise the country.
His remarks follow renewed fighting between Ethiopian federal forces and Tigrayan fighters, which escalated sharply in September 2026, nearly four years after the Pretoria peace agreement ended the two-year war in Tigray.
Relations between Addis Ababa and Asmara have also deteriorated, with the two countries severing diplomatic ties in October. Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of backing the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), allegations Asmara denies.