​Eritrea urges UN security council to impose chapter VII sanctions on Ethiopia

Eritrea has formally requested that the United Nations Security Council issue strong condemnations and impose binding sanctions on Ethiopia under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, Capital Ethiopia reported. The appeal follows escalating regional tensions and recent military maneuvers that Asmara warns present an immediate danger to stability in the Horn of Africa.

The diplomatic conflict deepened after Ethiopia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent an official notice to the UN Security Council on October 10. In that dispatch, Addis Ababa announced military operations, defending them as lawful self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter.

Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh dismissed the self-defense justification in a subsequent letter delivered to the Security Council. Saleh argued that Ethiopia is employing legal arguments as a cover for broader territorial ambitions, alleging that Addis Ababa aims to secure access to the Red Sea through force. He described Ethiopia's explanation as an attempt to justify unprovoked aggression against a fellow sovereign nation.

In the communication, Saleh emphasized that the current military escalation threatens to bring widespread devastation to civilians in both Ethiopia and Eritrea, while destabilizing the wider region. Asmara stressed that Ethiopian authorities are ignoring international appeals for calm, including joint statements from the UN Secretary-General and global partners marking the 25th anniversary of the Algiers Agreement, which urged full respect for Eritrean sovereignty and borders.

To back its claims, the Eritrean government pointed to earlier remarks delivered by senior Ethiopian defense officials. Asmara highlighted comments made on September 27 by General Abebaw Tadesse, Ethiopia’s Deputy Chief of Staff. According to the Eritrean filing, the general indicated that armed operations in the northern Tigray region served as an initial phase toward an offensive against Assab, a strategic Eritrean port.

Eritrea is urging council members to intervene quickly by invoking Chapter VII authority. The mechanism empowers the Security Council to mandate binding measures, ranging from non-military economic sanctions to collective military action, in order to address threats to international peace and security.