Eritrean president blames US for recent Ethiopian attacks

Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki says the recent cross-border attacks by Ethiopian troops on his country’s soil were orchestrated by the United States. "The military incursions were plotted by Washington with the aim of diverting attention from implementing the boundary commission's decision," Isaias said in a Sunday interview with Eritrean state TV, Reuters reported on Monday. The US embassy in the Eritrean capital of Asmara rejected the allegations. "The United States categorically rejects any allegations that it planned, participated in, or supported the [March 15] attack," the embassy said in a statement. On March 15 Ethiopian troops attacked targets inside its northern neighbor claiming the sites were military bases used by "subversive groups" to launch attacks inside Ethiopia. Eritrea described the military incursion on its soil as “flagrant aggression” designed to divert attention from Ethiopia’s "illegal" occupation of Eritrean territories. Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a border war from 1998 to 2000 in which about 80,000 people died and the border dispute remained unresolved.