Ethiopia has accused Eritrea of joining forces with a hardline opposition faction in preparing to launch a war, according to a letter from the foreign affairs ministry obtained by AFP on Wednesday.

“The collusion between the Eritrean government and the TPLF has become more evident over the past few months … the hardliner faction of the TPLF and the Eritrean government are actively preparing to wage war against Ethiopia,” Ethiopia’s foreign minister writes in the letter addressed to UN chief Antonio Guterres.

The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which dominated Ethiopian politics for some 30 years, has been banned from political activity. Relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea have been extremely strained for several months. (AFP)