Sudan's civil war becomes a proxy stage for Ethiopia-Eritrea rivalry, analysts say
Eritrea is reported to back Sudan's army while Ethiopia backs the rival Rapid Support Forces, as researchers warn the long-standing Addis Ababa-Asmara rivalry is spilling into an already devastating war.
By Eyob Hadgu · 2 September 2026
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who told parliament in July that Ethiopia has "no fear" of any alliance involving Eritrea, the TPLF and Sudan. (Illustration)
Sudan's civil war is becoming entangled with the long-running rivalry between Ethiopia and Eritrea, with diplomatic sources telling the Ayin Network that renewed tension between Addis Ababa and Asmara risks pulling the wider region deeper into the conflict.
Ethiopian officials have voiced concern over Sudanese army chief Lt-Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan's ties to Eritrea, Egypt and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which they see as a threat to Ethiopian security interests. At the same time, evidence points to Ethiopia backing the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) as a counterweight. Eritrea is reported to provide training camps and shelter for Sudan's army, while Ethiopia reportedly offers training bases for the RSF.
Speaking to the House of People's Representatives in July, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said: "Ethiopia has no fear of any alliance involving Eritrea, the TPLF, and Sudan, even if other actors join them." He added that "the worst is that Tigrayan youth are being sold into the Sudan war after being taken by force."
A crowded neighbourhood
"With each of the country's seven direct neighbours engaged to varying degrees in Sudan's war, Sudan already provides an active theatre for playing out regional rivalries," said Jonas Horner of the European Council on Foreign Relations.
Kholood Khair of Confluence Advisory said the conflicts across the region are increasingly feeding one another. "The internal conflicts within these countries are bleeding into one another," she said, pointing to reciprocal support flowing between Sudan and Ethiopia's own internal tensions.
The reported buildup on Ethiopia's side of the border has already drawn outside scrutiny. Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab identified roughly 100 newly arrived light technical vehicles at an Ethiopian National Defense Forces base in Asosa, near the Sudan border — a sixfold increase the lab said was large enough to support 750 to 1,000 soldiers.
Diplomatic sources say renewed Addis Ababa-Asmara tension risks regionalising a war that already touches all seven of Sudan's neighbours.
Adding to the picture, Salah Gosh, the former head of Sudan's security service, has reportedly relocated from Cairo to Asmara. Sources cited by the Ayin Network link the move to legal complications he faced in the UAE, and say it reflects strengthening security cooperation between Egypt and Eritrea.
This report draws on reporting by the Ayin Network, published via AllAfrica.
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