Politics
US urges de-escalation between Ethiopia and Eritrea
October 14, 2026 at 09:00 PM · Updated 1d ago
3 reports · over 11 hours
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the Ethiopia-Eritrea tensions with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Wednesday, voicing Washington's support for de-escalation by all parties.
- Rubio and Abiy discussed the tensions on Wednesday; the State Department said Rubio supports reducing tensions by all parties.
- Abiy said the call covered bilateral, regional, and multilateral issues of common interest between the two countries.
- The call followed Eritrea cutting diplomatic relations with Ethiopia, which had closed its embassy in Asmara and expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats.
- Ethiopian forces and allied fighters advanced toward Zalambesa, a town split by the Eritrean border, with a resident reporting troops about 5 km south.
- A pro-government source said no Ethiopian troops had crossed into Eritrea during the advance.