OMM Newsroom
Ethiopian government forces and fighters from the allied Tigray Peace Force (TPF) have expanded their control in northern Tigray, entering the historic city of Aksum, while rival Tigrayan fighters remain in nearby mountainous areas, the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) reported.
Solomon Hailemariam, a TPF spokesperson, said on Thursday that Eritrean forces had suffered significant casualties in the fighting. Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel dismissed the claim as false in comments to local media. The reported losses could not be independently verified.
ACLED also said Eritrean troops had withdrawn across the border through Zalambessa after Ethiopian forces and their allies advanced into several strategic towns.
On Tuesday, the organization documented Ethiopian tanks and heavy weapons moving toward the Eritrean border, prompting concerns about a possible confrontation between the neighbouring countries.
Eritrea has denied accusations that its forces entered Tigray to support armed opposition groups and has accused Ethiopia of threatening its sovereignty.
International efforts to prevent further fighting have intensified. On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the tensions with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and called for de-escalation.
“The Secretary emphasized that the region cannot tolerate more conflict,” the US State Department said.
The TPF supports Ethiopia’s federal government in its campaign against rival Tigrayan forces linked to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
The renewed fighting threatens the 2022 Pretoria peace agreement, which ended a two-year war in Tigray. Ethiopia and Eritrea, allies during that conflict, have since fallen out over regional security and Addis Ababa’s pursuit of access to the Red Sea.
