OMM Newsroom
Ethiopian government forces have moved tanks and heavy weapons toward the Eritrean border after advancing through northern Tigray, according to conflict-monitoring reports published on Wednesday. The movement has heightened fears that renewed fighting could escalate into a confrontation between the neighbours.
The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), which monitors armed conflicts worldwide, said witnesses saw a large convoy moving from Adigrat toward Fatsi and Zalambessa, two strategic towns near the Eritrean frontier.
ACLED said the movement began overnight on Monday and continued on Tuesday, after Ethiopian troops and allied Tigray Peace Force (TPF) fighters captured the towns.
Eritrea has denied Ethiopian accusations that it sent troops into Tigray. Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel accused Addis Ababa of pursuing “an unprovoked war of aggression”. Foreign Minister Osman Saleh called on the UN Security Council to take “the requisite deterrent measures” under Chapter VII of the UN Charter.
The US-based Critical Threats Project said in an assessment on Tuesday that Ethiopian troops had advanced about 37 kilometres (23 miles) north from Adigrat to Zalambessa without meeting substantial resistance. It also reported, citing open-source military monitoring, that Eritrean troops had set up defensive positions north of Zalambessa, but said the extent of Eritrea’s deployment could not be independently confirmed.
ACLED said Eritrean forces previously stationed along the Zalambessa-Fatsi corridor withdrew across the border on Monday, while rival Tigrayan fighters retreated toward Debre Damo and Irob. The withdrawal does not establish that all Eritrean troops have left Ethiopian territory, and the situation along other parts of the border remains unclear.
The advances are part of an Ethiopian counteroffensive against forces linked to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), whose renewed campaign has destabilised northern Ethiopia. The TPF is aligned with Ethiopia’s federal government, while the rival Tigray Defense Forces are associated with the TPLF.
The fighting has also deepened a diplomatic confrontation between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Addis Ababa accuses Asmara of sending troops into Tigray and supporting armed opposition groups; Eritrea denies the allegations.
In a letter to the UN Security Council, Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos said his country had “no option but to defend itself against Eritrea”. Eritrea, in turn, accused Ethiopia of threatening its sovereignty and seeking to justify military action against its territory.
The dispute is complicated by Ethiopia’s longstanding demand for access to the Red Sea. Eritrea views that demand as a potential threat to its territorial integrity, particularly in relation to the strategic port of Assab. Ethiopia has been landlocked since Eritrea gained independence in 1993 and has repeatedly described maritime access as essential to its economic development.
The two countries fought a border war from 1998 to 2000 and restored diplomatic relations in 2018. Eritrean troops later supported Ethiopia’s federal government during the 2020-2022 Tigray war, but relations deteriorated after the Pretoria peace agreement. The latest military buildup threatens to undermine that agreement and has raised concern that fighting inside Ethiopia could spread across the border.
