Billene Seyoum, spokesperson for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, has said Eritrea provided financial support to members of the joint coalition of Ethiopian armed groups over a period of time.

The accusation follows the formal announcement by seven Ethiopian armed groups that they had formed a common front.

Eritrea has rejected the claim. No independent evidence confirming Eritrean funding of the groups has so far been produced, according to reports.

Analysts say the dispute sits largely within regional politics and a propaganda war, and that relations between Addis Ababa and Asmara have entered a sharper phase of tension.