Witnesses Report Alleged Eritrean Troop Movement in Northern Ethiopia

At least two witnesses have reported seeing dozens of soldiers they identified as Eritrean traveling through Adigrat in northern Ethiopia, according to accounts given to Reuters. The news agency said it could not independently verify the reports.

The witnesses said the soldiers were moving in two trucks and identified them as Eritrean because they were wearing off-white camouflage uniforms. Another resident of Adigrat said family members had also reported seeing Eritrean troops.

Adigrat is in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, about 25km (15 miles) south of the Eritrean border. The reports emerged on Wednesday amid renewed fighting involving Ethiopian forces and a seven-group armed alliance that includes the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.

Claims about Eritrean involvement

Gebreigziabher Beyene, commander of the Tigray Peace Force, said Eritrean troops had entered Tigray in uniform and were carrying heavy weapons. He also claimed the force was being targeted by drones.

Beyene said Eritrea was “deliberately deploying its forces so that the fighting takes place inside Tigray rather than spilling into Eritrea”. Reuters was unable to independently confirm the reported troop movement or the claims about drone attacks.

The chief administrator of Ethiopia’s Afar region also claimed that Eritrean troops were fighting there, although that account could not be confirmed by Reuters.

If confirmed, the reported presence of Eritrean forces inside Ethiopia would be the first such sighting since fighting resumed on September 23, according to the report.

Diplomatic relations deteriorate

The reports came as relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea worsened. Ethiopia announced the closure of its embassy in Asmara and said it would expel 10 Eritrean diplomats. Eritrea later announced that it was severing diplomatic ties with Ethiopia.

Eritrea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had “no option but to reciprocate in kind and sever all diplomatic ties with Ethiopia”. Eritrea’s Information Minister, Yemane Meskel, accused Ethiopia’s government of promoting what he called “a fallacious narrative of ‘self-defense’ to rationalise and camouflage its war of aggression”.

Ethiopia’s government has accused Eritrea, Egypt and Sudan of supporting the armed alliance fighting to remove the Ethiopian government. All three countries have denied involvement.

Fighting and political developments

Ethiopian forces captured Mekelle, Tigray’s regional capital, on Monday. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front confirmed that it had withdrawn from the city and moved its regional administration temporarily to another location.

Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan and Egypt have issued a joint declaration calling for a political and peaceful solution to the war in Ethiopia. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has also insisted that Ethiopia must have access to the Red Sea.