Eritrean Troops Enter Northern Ethiopia, Witnesses Say

Eritrean soldiers were seen driving through the northern Ethiopian town of Adigrat on Wednesday, according to witnesses who spoke to Reuters, in what would be the first confirmed sighting of Eritrean forces inside Ethiopian territory since fighting resumed in Tigray on September 23, Al Jazeera reported.

What did witnesses in Adigrat describe?

At least two witnesses told Reuters they saw "dozens" of Eritrean soldiers pass through Adigrat, a town roughly 25 kilometers (15 miles) south of the Eritrean border, in two trucks. The witnesses said they identified the troops by their off-white camouflage uniforms. A third Adigrat resident who was away from the town at the time said relatives there had separately told him they saw Eritrean forces. Reuters said it could not independently verify any of the accounts.

Gebreigziabher Beyene, commander of the pro-government Tigray Peace Force, went further, saying "the Eritrean army has entered Tigray in uniform, equipped with heavy weaponry" and that the force "is being struck by drones." Beyene said Eritrea was "deliberately deploying its forces so that the fighting takes place inside Tigray rather than spilling into Eritrea." Last week, the chief administrator of Ethiopia's Afar region made a similar claim about Eritrean troops fighting there, which Reuters also could not confirm.

How has Eritrea responded to the allegation?

Eritrea's Information Minister, Yemane Meskel, did not deny that troops had crossed the border in a statement posted on X. Instead, he said Ethiopia's government was constructing "a fallacious narrative of 'self-defense' to rationalise and camouflage its war of aggression." Ethiopia has separately accused Eritrea, Egypt and Sudan of backing the seven-group armed alliance fighting to remove the Ethiopian government; all three countries deny involvement.

Why did Ethiopia and Eritrea cut diplomatic ties?

Eritrea announced it was severing diplomatic relations with Ethiopia on Thursday, after Addis Ababa said it would close its embassy in Asmara and expel 10 Eritrean diplomats. Eritrea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Ethiopia's moves left it with "no option but to reciprocate in kind and sever all diplomatic ties with Ethiopia."

What happened in Mekelle this week?

Ethiopian federal forces captured Tigray's regional capital, Mekelle, on Monday, days after the Tigray People's Liberation Front confirmed it had withdrawn from the city and relocated its regional administration "temporarily" elsewhere. The Ethiopian joint military force has since secured Mekelle airport, according to Al Jazeera.

What is driving Ethiopia's wider conflict with the alliance?

Mekelle fell on the same day Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was sworn in for a new five-year term, during which he said Ethiopia, a landlocked country, must secure access to the Red Sea. The renewed fighting between Ethiopian forces and the seven-group armed alliance, which includes the TPLF, began September 23. Eritrean forces entering Ethiopian territory, if confirmed, would mark a significant escalation beyond that internal conflict and into direct cross-border involvement by Asmara.

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