{"id":837935,"date":"2026-10-18T12:40:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T16:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mereja.com\/index\/?p=837935"},"modified":"2026-10-18T14:14:40","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T18:14:40","slug":"rubio-says-separatists-attacked-inside-ethiopia-refers-to-drone-attacks-on-addis-ababa-and-urges-a-measured-response","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.com\/index\/837935","title":{"rendered":"Rubio says “separatists” attacked inside Ethiopia, refers to drone attacks on Addis Ababa and urges a measured response"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Official<\/figure>\n

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in his official State Department portrait, January 2025. (Photo: U.S. Department of State via Wikimedia Commons, public domain) [file photo]<\/em><\/p>\n

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday that "separatists" had been attacking inside Ethiopia and referred to "drone attacks against their own capital," in remarks to reporters at Joint Base Andrews.<\/p>\n

Rubio said he had spoken to the Ethiopian side "this week personally" and told them, "We understand the challenge you're facing from these separatists, and obviously no one is supportive of terrorism and the terrorist attacks that came against them." He said Washington also believes "it's a time to sort of be wise and measured in how you respond to that and make sure it doesn't turn into a broader war which could ultimately pull in other countries," according to the State Department transcript. "The last thing the world needs right now is another war," he said.<\/p>\n

The remarks came in answer to a reporter who asked how high the risk of war between Ethiopia and Eritrea was, and whether lifting some Ethiopia-related sanctions just before the violence flared had been a mistake. Rubio said it had not. "These were very small sanctions, and they don't really have anything to do with what's happening over there," he said. "You have these separatists that were attacking inside of Ethiopia. You had an Ethiopian response to it. You see troops surging on both sides of the border as a result of that."<\/p>\n

He said that whenever troops gather on both sides of a border "in a place like that," there is always concern that fighting can turn into a broader conflict. Washington has not had "the closest relationship with Eritrea" over the years, he said, but has had more communication than usual with Asmara in the past few months. "Our hope was that by lifting some of these sanctions, we can increase those links because it's hard to serve the role of mediator and peacemaker unless you can talk to both sides," Rubio said. "Obviously, the Ethiopian side we talk to a lot more."<\/p>\n

Rubio did not name any group in his answer. BBC Amharic, reporting the remarks on Sunday, wrote that he had called the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which it said has been fighting the federal government and its allies for the past three weeks, a "separatist group," and that he had said a drone attack had been carried out in Addis Ababa.<\/p>\n

Residents of the Gotera and Bethel areas of the capital told BBC Amharic that they heard heavy explosions after 12:20 a.m. in the early hours of Meskerem 21, 2019 in the Ethiopian calendar (October 1), and Reuters and AFP cited diplomatic sources reporting blasts in the city around midnight. BBC Amharic said at the time that its efforts to get an explanation from government officials were unsuccessful.<\/p>\n

Mereja has asked Ethiopia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Government Communication Service to confirm or deny that drones struck Addis Ababa and will update this story with any response.<\/p>\n

The sanctions the reporter asked about were removed on September 18, when the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control announced the expiration of the national emergency "with respect to the situation in Ethiopia" and took Eritrea's ruling People's Front for Democracy and Justice, the Eritrean Defense Forces and officials including Abraha Kassa and Hagos Ghebrehiwet off its sanctions list. Separately, BBC Amharic noted that the United States announced the lifting of its arms embargo on Ethiopia on Ginbot 3, 2018 in the Ethiopian calendar (May 11, 2026), and that the State Department ended its policy of denying defense trade licenses for Ethiopia.<\/p>\n

Rubio had spoken by phone with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Tikimt 4 (October 14) and called for tensions to be eased on both sides, BBC Amharic recalled, adding that he urged all Horn of Africa states to respect their neighbors' sovereignty and territorial integrity and to refrain from cross-border incursions.<\/p>\n

The Ethiopian Peoples' Forces Alliance for Survival, an armed coalition opposed to the federal government, rejected Rubio's characterization in a statement dated October 18<\/a> and bearing the coalition's stamp, which circulated on X on Sunday. “Characterizing the movements as 'separatist' is legally inaccurate and politically inappropriate,” the statement said, adding that classifying “certain AFS military operations that target the military installations of the adversary as 'terrorism' is unwarranted.” It urged the United States “to pursue a balanced and constructive stance on the whole conflict.”<\/p>\n

On X, the remarks drew sharply different readings. Getachew Meseret, whose profile describes him as a foreign relations officer at Ethiopia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, wrote that Rubio "recognized Ethiopia's response to terrorist and separatist attacks inside #Ethiopia and made clear that no one supports terrorism or terrorist attacks directed against the country." Chalachew Eshetie, who describes himself as a diplomat at the ministry, wrote that Rubio "accurately identified the TPLF as 'Separatists and Terrorists'" and that the federal government "has every right" to defend itself. Naty Berhane Yifru shared a clip of the remarks, writing that Rubio had identified the TPLF and its coalition as "Separitists" [sic] and their conduct as "Terrorism"; the post had about 25,000 views by Sunday morning.<\/p>\n

Others rejected the label. "Sec Rubio got it wrong: TPLF is among Ethiopia's most centrist organizations, not separatist," wrote Yohannes Woldegabriel, adding that Rubio seemed to emphasize "alleged drone attacks in Addis Ababa while overlooking government attacks on civilians and aid conveys [sic]." An X user posting as Awalom replied that "the real acts of terrorism are being committed by the Ethiopian regime against Tigray," and that its drones had killed civilians, "including children as young as two." Mereja could not independently verify that claim.<\/p>\n

An account posting as Axum Tsion wrote, "TPLF is NOT a separatist," arguing that the group "never wants to separate from Ethiopia." A user posting as Othello asked whether Rubio had been told that Fano is a separatist force and wrote that "his response miserably fails to make that distinction." Another user, posting as Senay, asked, "Who is Rubio calling sepratists [sic]? The TPLF, FANO, OLA etc are all sepratists [sic]?"<\/p>\n

Capital, an English-language newspaper in Addis Ababa, led its report with Rubio's warning that "the world doesn't need another war," and said he had urged restraint "following recent insurgent attacks inside Ethiopia" amid a surge of troops along the frontier.<\/p>\n

Sources<\/h4>\n