Addis Ababa: Reports from witnesses and local sources that Eritrean troops have entered parts of northern Ethiopia have raised fears that renewed fighting in the Tigray region could develop into a wider regional conflict.
Ermiyas Ababu, a commander with the Tigray Peace Force, which is allied with the Ethiopian government, said Eritrean personnel had entered the towns of Adigrat and Idaga Hamus in Tigray. He said Eritrean military officers and commanders were carrying out surveillance in the area.
The reported troop movements have not been independently verified. However, witnesses in Adigrat have also reported seeing Eritrean soldiers in the town. Other local accounts have described Eritrean troops moving towards the Idaga Hamus area.
Conflict monitoring organisation ACLED said Eritrean troops crossed into Ethiopia through the border area of Zelambesa and that Ethiopian military drones targeted them near Guada as they moved towards Idaga Hamus. The claims about the troop movement and drone attack have not been independently verified.
The reports come at a time of sharply worsening relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Ethiopia has accused Eritrea of supporting the Tigray People's Liberation Front, or TPLF, in the renewed conflict. Eritrea has rejected the accusations.
Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel has accused Ethiopia of making false claims against Eritrea to create a justification for military action. Eritrea has also expressed concern over Ethiopia's repeated calls for access to the Red Sea, an issue that has become a major source of tension between the two countries.
The diplomatic relationship between the two countries has already broken down. On October 1, Ethiopia expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats and closed its embassy in Asmara. Eritrea later announced that it was severing diplomatic relations with Ethiopia.
The developments come after fighting resumed in Tigray on September 23, ending a period of relative calm following the 2022 peace agreement that ended the previous war in the region.
The renewed fighting has changed the balance of control in several important parts of Tigray. Government allied forces have regained control of Mekelle, the regional capital, after TPLF forces withdrew from the city.
Ethiopian federal forces also retook Alula Aba Nega International Airport in Mekelle earlier this month. Government allied forces have since imposed a night time curfew in the city as they work to strengthen their control.
TPLF forces have also reportedly withdrawn from Shire, an important town in northwestern Tigray. Residents said government forces had not yet entered the town at the time of the latest reports.
Shire is important because it has been a major location for people displaced by earlier fighting and for humanitarian operations. The renewed conflict has already disrupted aid activities and movement across the region.
The United Nations said 19 humanitarian personnel who had been trapped in Tigray because of the fighting eventually reached Gondar by road on September 30. Humanitarian workers have faced difficulties caused by a lack of flights, unsafe roads and unreliable communications.
The current conflict is also different from the previous Tigray war because the TPLF has joined a wider alliance of six other opposition groups seeking to challenge Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government.
The African Union has called for restraint and an immediate reduction in tensions. It has warned that the renewed fighting could further destabilise the Horn of Africa and has stressed that political efforts should be used to resolve the crisis.
The renewed fighting has also raised serious concerns about the future of the 2022 Pretoria peace agreement, which ended the two year war between Ethiopian federal forces and Tigrayan forces. The agreement remains an important basis for peace efforts in the country.
The reported presence of Eritrean troops is now one of the most sensitive developments in the conflict. If independently confirmed, it could mark a major escalation and increase the risk of direct confrontation between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
For now, the military situation remains fluid across Tigray. The reported Eritrean troop movements have not been officially confirmed, while fighting, diplomatic tensions and humanitarian difficulties continue to raise concerns about a wider crisis in the Horn of Africa.