Eritrean soldiers have crossed into northern Ethiopia and are moving towards an area where the national army and regional forces are clashing, according to residents of Adigrat who spoke to the BBC. Fighting in Tigray broke out two weeks ago, following months of tension between the federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), with both sides accusing each other of violating the 2022 agreement that ended a two-year civil war.
Multiple accounts say Eritrean troops moved from the border town of Zalambessa towards central Tigray, with convoys passing through Adigrat and heading towards Edaga Hamus, a town between Adigrat and Mekelle. One resident said he saw about 40 trucks carrying soldiers moving south, while another reported 20 to 30 large trucks with Eritrean number plates passing through the town. Residents also described vehicles carrying heavy weapons, anti-aircraft guns and soldiers moving on foot.
The BBC could not independently verify the reports of troop movements because it cannot report directly from Tigray, although telephone connections and internet access have been restored in most areas since the army captured Mekelle. Images on social media show heavily loaded military trucks carrying uniformed personnel heading towards Adigrat, Edaga Hamus and possibly Wukro, but the BBC has not verified them. Sources in Wukro said national army soldiers and allied fighters entered the town on Wednesday, following an exchange of heavy fire about 15 kilometres to the south.
The reported return of Eritrean forces has alarmed many Tigray residents, who remember the atrocities allegedly committed by soldiers from Eritrea during the recent civil war, when they fought against the TPLF. One Adigrat resident said seeing Eritrean soldiers again was emotionally painful: “The memories are still fresh. I was emotional myself. People are sad to see them return.” A resident of Edaga Hamus also reported Eritrean troops passing through and added that drone strikes targeting soldiers had taken place near the town.
Eritrea was a key ally of Ethiopia during the 2020–2022 war, fighting against the TPLF in one of this century’s deadliest conflicts, which brought Tigray to the brink of famine. However, relations between the two neighbours have since deteriorated, mainly because of the Ethiopian prime minister’s pursuit of access to a Red Sea port. Last week, the two countries severed diplomatic relations as renewed violence heightened fears of a wider regional conflict.
In a recent interview with the private broadcaster Fana Television, senior Ethiopian government official Abraham Belay accused Eritrea of direct involvement in the conflict. “The Eritrean army participated with its full capabilities and logistical support,” he said, adding that many Eritrean soldiers had been killed or captured and that “the retaliation will be double”. The situation remains highly volatile, with the risk of reopening a front that caused an enormous humanitarian catastrophe in the region.
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