Gunmen attacked a group of European tourists, killing five, injuring two and kidnapping an additional two others on January 17  . . . the attack occurred in Ethiopia’s northern Afar region on Tuesday and was carried out by a group trained and armed by the Eritrean government, according to Ethiopian officials . . . Eritrea’s ambassador to the African Union called the accusation an “absolute lie” . . . Eritrea and Ethiopia fought a border war from 1998-2000 . . . tensions between the two countries have been extremely high since a UN report said Eritrea had plotted to bomb an African Union meeting in Ethiopia last year . . . in response, the UN passed increased sanctions on Eritrea . . . the latest attack could further escalate the animosity between the two countries . . . the region remains susceptible to rebel groups of both Eritrean and Ethiopian origin due to a lack of infrastructure . . . Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki has made multiple attempts to destabilize the region, however he was recently exonerated by the Somalia and Eritrea Monitoring Group (SEMG) to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) of allegations that his government had helped arm Al Shabaab militants in Somalia last year.