France, Feb. 22 -- In January, Ethiopian police said they had seized thousands of rounds of ammunition sent by Eritrea to rebels in Ethiopia's Amhara region.

Eritrea denied the allegation, and said Ethiopia was using it to justify starting a war..

The regime "is floating false flags to justify the war that it has been itching to unleash for two long years," Eritrea's Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel told news agencies.

Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki said in an interview earlier in February with state-run media that Ethiopia had declared war on his country.

He added that Eritrea did not want war, but knows "how to defend [its] nation".

Ethiopia demands Eritrea 'immediately withdraw' troops from its territory Historical feud...