Ethiopia, Eritrea trade accusations after deadly tourist attack

The Ethiopian government has said it will defend itself from "terrorist" acts sponsored by Eritrea following a deadly attack this week on western tourists which Addis Ababa said was carried out by armed groups sponsored by its arch-rival.

In a statement Thursday, Ethiopia said it would invoke its right to self-defence as the already-strained relations between the two neighbours threatened to deteriorate even further.

Asmara denies the allegation and said it had put its troops at their border on high alert following the accusation. Diplomats also reported heightened army activity on the Ethiopian side.

Ethiopia said it would respond to perceived Eritrean aggression if the international community did not do so.

"The Ethiopian Government's tolerance towards a regime that openly supports terrorist activity is inevitably wearing thinner by the day. Ethiopia cannot and should not sit idly by while the regime in Asmara continues to sponsor acts of terror within Ethiopia's territory with impunity," read the statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The statement claimed the Monday attack in the northern desert region of Afar that saw five western tourists killed and four others abducted was planned to coincide with the African Union's heads of state and government summit set for next weekend in the Ethiopian capital. (Read: Five foreign tourists killed in Ethiopia)

Denied claims

But Asmara strongly denied the accusations and said Ethiopia was on a smear campaign against it and was looking to divert attention from a border dispute.

Eritrea's ambassador to the African Union, Mr Girma Asmerom, told this reporter that the allegation is an "absolute lie and an Ethiopian fabrication".

Mr Girma said the attack on the tourists took place in Ethiopian territory, and is an Ethiopian matter.

Ethiopia last year also accused Asmara of planning a bombing campaign at a previous AU leaders summit, an allegation supported by a UN report.

The Ethiopian statement appealed to the international community to press the Eritrean regime to avoid "destabilising" the region and to take necessary action.

"It should be made clear that Ethiopia has the right to defend itself and will do so if necessary."

Eritrea's pariah status in the region is seen as being due to a perceived support for terror groups, a claim it has tried to counter with diplomatic offensives.

Kenya recently accused Eritrea of arming Somali extremist group Al-Shabaab, a claim that was discounted by a United Nations investigative report (Read: UN discounts claims Eritrea armed Al-Shabaab ).

The reclusive country remains under stifling United Nations sanctions which were recently tightened at the behest of Ethiopia and east African nations.

Addis Ababa has also accused Eritrea of using terror to ease diplomatic actions, alluding to another abduction attack on western tourists in 2008.

Isolation tactic

"When tourists have been kidnapped, the Eritrean government had tried to use the prisoners as a bargaining chip for its diplomatic activities," the statement claimed.

Ethiopian government spokesman Bereket Simon claimed the gunmen who carried out Monday's attack were members of subversive groups trained and armed by the Eritrean government.

On Thursday, Ethiopian and western diplomats sent a group of elders to negotiate the release of two Germans and two Ethiopians kidnapped.

The two rivals both host a number of armed opposition in their territories, and provide military support.

Speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, a Scandinavian diplomat based in Addis Ababa told the publication that Ethiopia may be trying to further isolate Eritrea internationally.

The two countries between 1998 and 2000 fought a bloody border war that is estimated to have claimed 70,000 lives on both sides.

Nine years ago, an international court awarded the disputed small town of Bademe to Eritrea but Ethiopia rejected the ruling and requested for more negotiations to the resolve the simmering border dispute.

The diplomat said a military offensive was unlikely as Ethiopia was comfortable with the current status quo. "The disputed border town is in the hands of Ethiopia and any military offensive will cost Ethiopia than Eritrea" he added.