Eritrean troops enter Ethiopia’s Tigray as renewed fighting widens

Eritrean troops have crossed into Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region and moved south from the border, according to residents, local officials and conflict monitor ACLED, raising the prospect of direct fighting between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Residents in Adigrat told AFP, the BBC and Reuters that they saw convoys of Eritrean soldiers, some carrying heavy weapons, travelling toward Edaga Hamus and other areas along the road to the regional capital, Mekelle. ACLED said Eritrean forces entered through Zalambessa and that Ethiopian drones struck them as they advanced. A commander of the pro-government Tigray Peace Force also said Eritrean troops had entered in uniform with heavy weaponry and were being targeted by drones.

Ethiopia demanded the immediate withdrawal of all foreign forces. Eritrea did not directly deny the deployment, but Information Minister Yemane Meskel accused Addis Ababa of constructing a false self-defence narrative to conceal what he called a “war of aggression.” Ethiopian officials cited by France 24 estimated that as many as 8,000 Eritrean soldiers were in Tigray supporting rebels, a claim not independently confirmed.

The deployment follows renewed fighting between Ethiopian federal forces and an armed alliance that includes the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. Federal troops entered Mekelle after TPLF forces withdrew, but fighting has continued elsewhere. Ethiopia and Eritrea, allies against the TPLF during the 2020-2022 civil war, severed diplomatic ties last week after relations deteriorated amid mutual accusations and disputes over Ethiopia’s pursuit of access to the Red Sea.