OMM Redaksiyası
Residents in the Tigrayan town of Adigrat have told the BBC that Eritrean soldiers crossed into northern Ethiopia and headed towards areas where Ethiopian army troops and regional forces have clashed.
Fighting in Tigray began two weeks ago after months of tension between Ethiopia’s government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which controls the region. Both sides accuse the other of violating a 2022 agreement that ended a two-year civil war.
Ethiopia has also accused Eritrea of supporting the TPLF, an allegation Asmara has previously denied. The latest unrest follows the launch in September of a new alliance of armed groups in Ethiopia that includes the TPLF.
Over the weekend, TPLF forces withdrew from Mekelle, Tigray’s main city, which is 115km (71 miles) south of Adigrat and is now under army control.
According to multiple accounts cited by the BBC, Eritrean troops moved from the border town of Zalambessa towards central Tigray. Convoys were reportedly seen passing through Adigrat and travelling towards Edaga Hamus, between Adigrat and Mekelle.
One Adigrat resident, who asked not to be named for security reasons, told BBC Tigrinya that they saw about 40 trucks carrying soldiers travelling south. Another resident said they saw 20 to 30 large trucks heading towards Edaga Hamus, and that people travelling along the route had reported vehicles carrying heavy weapons, including anti-aircraft guns.
A source in Mekelle told the BBC that relatives in Adigrat had described larger movements, estimating that they saw up to 60 trucks carrying soldiers. The troops were later deployed in mountainous terrain near Edaga Hamus, the source said.
Images circulating on social media appear to show military trucks carrying uniformed personnel towards Adigrat, Edaga Hamus and possibly Wukro. The BBC said it had not independently verified the images or the reported troop movements.
Sources in Wukro told the BBC that Ethiopian army soldiers and TPLF fighters entered the town on Wednesday after an exchange of heavy weapons about 15km to its south.
The reported return of Eritrean forces has alarmed residents who remember alleged atrocities by Eritrean soldiers during the 2020-2022 civil war, when they fought against the TPLF. One Adigrat resident told the BBC the soldiers’ return was emotionally distressing, saying that memories of the conflict remained fresh.
A resident of Edaga Hamus also reported Eritrean troops passing through the town and said drone strikes had taken place nearby, targeting soldiers.
In a recent interview with Fana Television, senior Ethiopian government official Abraham Belay accused Eritrea of taking a direct part in the conflict. He said the Eritrean army had participated with its full capacity and logistics, and claimed that Eritrean soldiers had been killed and captured.
Eritrea was a key ally of Ethiopia during the 2020-2022 war, one of the century’s deadliest conflicts, which brought Tigray to the brink of famine. Relations between the neighbours have since deteriorated, largely over Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s ambition to secure ownership of one of Eritrea’s Red Sea ports.
The two countries severed diplomatic relations last week as renewed fighting raised concerns about a wider regional conflict.
