Eritrean troops reported inside Tigray as fighting in northern Ethiopia widens
Witnesses and a pro-government commander say uniformed Eritrean soldiers with heavy weapons have been in the town of Adigrat for days. Addis Ababa and Asmara cut diplomatic ties last week.
PANM — Eritrean soldiers have crossed into Ethiopia's northern Tigray region and have been present in the town of Adigrat for several days, according to witnesses and a pro-government militia commander quoted by AFP and Africanews.
Adigrat lies about 115 kilometres north of the regional capital, Mekelle. Witnesses told the agency they had seen Eritrean troops travelling south on trucks with heavy weaponry.
Gebreigziabher Beyene, who commands the Tigray Peace Force, a militia aligned with the federal government, said the Eritrean army had entered Tigray in uniform and with heavy weapons, and that the forces were being hit by drone strikes.
How the fighting began
Fighting broke out on 23 September between the Tigray People's Liberation Front, the party that has long dominated the region, and Ethiopian federal forces. The Tigray Peace Force entered Mekelle on 4 October, according to the report.
Drone strikes have also been reported in the town of Adwa, west of Mekelle, where several civilians were killed when hotels were hit.
Ethiopia's government accuses Eritrea of backing the Tigrayan forces. The two countries severed diplomatic relations last week.
Old enemies, shifting sides
Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a border war between 1998 and 2000. Relations thawed after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took office in 2018, and Eritrean troops fought alongside the federal army against the TPLF in the civil war of 2020 to 2022.
Since then the alignment has reversed. Eritrea fears that Ethiopia, which is landlocked, intends to take access to the Red Sea by force, according to the report.
The reports from Adigrat could not be independently confirmed, and Eritrea's position was not included in the report.
This report is based on reporting by Africanews and AFP.
