ENDF Chief Pledges 'Restraint', Accuses Egypt, Sudan and Eritrea of Backing Rebel Alliance

Army Chief of Staff Field Marshal Birhanu Jula said on Sep 27, 2026 that the ENDF was responding to provocations from the Tigray front with 'wisdom and restraint,' saying the command prefers 'strategic calm' over large-scale confrontation even as fighting continues in Tigray, Afar, and Amhara. In the same remarks, made to the army's own media outlet, Jula accused Egypt and Sudan of financially and materially backing the seven-group Ethiopian People's Forces Alliance for Survival (EPFAS) that is seeking to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government, saying the armed groups could not sustain their campaign unless they were 'pushed, supported and supplied' from abroad. He separately accused Eritrea of acting as an intermediary between foreign backers and the armed groups inside Ethiopia, framing it as an extension of the alleged 'Tsimdo' coordination. Jula did not provide public evidence for the accusations. Egypt and Sudan had not responded as of Sunday morning; Eritrea has repeatedly denied the allegations.