By SUMUR TSEHAYE
Eritrean troops have reportedly entered Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region in recent days, according to local officials and residents, raising fears that the renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia could develop into a wider confrontation between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Witnesses told Reuters on Wednesday that Eritrean soldiers were seen travelling through Adigrat, a town in northern Tigray located roughly 25 kilometres from the Eritrean border.
Two residents said they saw trucks carrying dozens of soldiers wearing what they identified as Eritrean military uniforms. Reuters said it could not independently verify the accounts.
AFP, meanwhile, reported that Eritrean troops had been deployed around Adigrat and that some were moving south toward Mekelle.
A local official and residents told the agency that the troops had been in the area for several days. One witness reportedly described soldiers travelling in large trucks and other military vehicles while carrying heavy weapons.
The reports come at an exceptionally tense moment in relations between Addis Ababa and Asmara.
Eritrea denies deployment
Eritrea has strongly rejected reports that its troops are operating inside Ethiopia.
Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel denied that Eritrean forces were present in Adigrat, describing the reports as part of what he called an Ethiopian attempt to create a justification for a war against Eritrea.
The Ethiopian government has accused Eritrea of supporting the armed alliance fighting federal forces in northern Ethiopia since September 23. Eritrea has denied the accusations.
The competing claims have not yet been independently resolved. The Critical Threats Project, in its October 6 assessment, said it had been unable to confirm reports of increased Eritrean military activity inside Tigray.
It noted that several sources had reported Eritrean forces near border areas including Irob, Rama, Sheraro and Zalambessa, but said it found no supporting evidence sufficient to independently verify the claims.
Fighting spreads across northern Ethiopia
The alleged Eritrean deployment comes after two weeks of intense fighting between Ethiopian federal forces and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and allied forces.
The conflict began on September 23, reviving memories of the devastating 2020–2022 Tigray war. Ethiopian federal forces subsequently launched a counteroffensive and entered Mekelle after Tigrayan forces withdrew from the regional capital.
Federal and allied forces have since advanced north along routes leading toward the Eritrean border.
The development has raised particular concern because of Eritrea’s military involvement in the previous Tigray war.
Eritrean forces fought alongside Ethiopian federal troops during much of that conflict, but relations between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and President Isaias Afwerki’s government deteriorated after the war ended.
Diplomatic relations collapse
The latest reports of Eritrean troops entering Tigray follow an extraordinary deterioration in diplomatic relations.
Ethiopia recently expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats and closed its embassy in Asmara, accusing Eritrea, along with other regional actors, of supporting forces opposing the Ethiopian government.
Eritrea subsequently announced that it was severing diplomatic relations with Ethiopia and closed its embassy in Addis Ababa.
The dispute is also connected to Ethiopia’s longstanding desire for reliable access to the Red Sea.
Eritrea has viewed repeated Ethiopian statements about the strategic importance of sea access with deep suspicion, while Addis Ababa has insisted that it seeks access through peaceful and diplomatic means.
Risk of a wider regional war
The reported movement of Eritrean forces into Tigray could significantly raise the stakes of the current conflict if independently confirmed.
Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a devastating border war from 1998 to 2000, with tens of thousands of people killed.
Relations were restored in 2018, when Abiy and Isaias signed a peace agreement that earned Abiy the Nobel Peace Prize.
That rapprochement collapsed during and after the Tigray war.
A renewed direct confrontation would therefore carry consequences well beyond Tigray. It could draw in armed groups operating in Ethiopia’s northern regions and further destabilize the wider Horn of Africa, an already fragile region affected by conflicts and competing geopolitical interests.
For now, however, the precise scale and purpose of any Eritrean military movement inside Ethiopia remain unclear.
