Ethiopian drones hit Eritrean troops near Adigrat as the two governments stay silent
Witnesses and a conflict monitor report repeated strikes on Eritrean positions inside Tigray. Neither Addis Ababa nor Asmara has commented, days after the two countries cut diplomatic ties.
Adigrat — Ethiopian drones have struck Eritrean forces positioned near the town of Adigrat in the northern Tigray region, according to witnesses and a conflict monitoring group cited by Africanews.
The monitor ACLED said "Eritrean troops and ammunition" in the Adigrat area were hit by "multiple drone strikes".
What witnesses describe
Three witnesses confirmed the strikes. "There were many, many drone strikes yesterday," one said. Another reported a "massive explosion during the night" and said they had seen Eritrean military vehicles that had been hit. A third said Eritrean forces appeared to be pulling back towards the north.
Neither government has commented publicly on the fighting. A senior Ethiopian federal army commander, who was not named, played down the clashes when speaking to AFP.
A relationship in collapse
The strikes follow the reported arrival of Eritrean troops deep inside Tigray, which we covered earlier this week, and a rapid breakdown in relations. Ethiopia expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats and closed its embassy in Asmara earlier this month. Eritrea answered by cutting all diplomatic ties.
Eritrea's information minister, Yemane Meskel, has accused Ethiopia of "openly working to bring about regime change" by backing opposition groups.
The two countries fought a border war from 1998 to 2000. Relations improved in 2018 under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and Eritrean forces fought alongside Ethiopia's federal army against the Tigray People's Liberation Front in the war of 2020 to 2022.
This report is based on reporting by Africanews with agencies. The accounts could not be independently verified, and the situation was still changing when it was written.
