Eritrean troops move deep into Ethiopia's Tigray region as fighting escalates

What the report says

Residents in Adigrat, a town in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, told BBC Africa that Eritrean troops have crossed from the border area and moved south toward the front lines as fighting intensifies. The BBC reported that people in Adigrat and nearby areas described military convoys with Eritrean registration plates traveling through the corridor between Adigrat and Mekelle, and heading toward Edaga Hamus and possibly Wukro. The report said the movements could not be independently verified by the BBC, which noted it cannot currently report from the area on the ground.

The reported troop movements come amid renewed clashes in Tigray that began two weeks ago after rising tensions between Ethiopia’s federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, or TPLF. Both sides have accused each other of violating the 2022 agreement that ended the previous two-year war. The article says Ethiopia has accused Eritrea of supporting the TPLF, while Eritrea has denied such claims in the past. The TPLF withdrew from Mekelle over the weekend, and the city is now under army control.

The BBC said the latest escalation has raised fears of a broader regional conflict. Eritrea had been a key ally of Ethiopia during the 2020-2022 war, but relations have since worsened, in part because of disputes over Red Sea access. The article also said Ethiopia and Eritrea severed diplomatic relations last week. Local residents quoted by the BBC said the return of Eritrean troops was distressing, reflecting memories of the earlier war and allegations of abuses committed during that period.