Drone strikes hit Eritrean forces which were going through a northern Ethiopian town and heading to Mekelle city, capital of the Tigray region, witnesses told APA on Thursday.
The strikes came as the Eritrean forces entered deep into Ethiopian territory to avert what Asmara referred to as a “looming danger” caused by the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) whose troops were advancing toward the north of Eritrea’s border.
The Eritrean government accuses Ethiopia of openly working to bring about regime change in Eritrea by providing shelter and support to certain mercenaries who claim to be in opposition and get access to the Red Sea by force. Currently, the Ethiopian government is fighting the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF)-led seven-group rebel coalition with active fighting going on in Tigray , Afar and Amhara regions since the coalition announced its offensive last week.
On Tuesday, the Ethiopian government accused Asmara of sending troops to Ethiopia to fight along with TPLF forces which were retreating to the north after ENDF took control of Mekelle, the regional capital. Witnesses and conflict monitor ACLED said “Eritrean troops and ammunition” in the Adigrat area were hit by “multiple drone strikes” overnight between Wednesday and Thursday.
Residents living in Adigrat town told APA that they have witnessed many, many drone strikes on Thursday with some Eritrean lorries having been destroyed. “Following the drone strikes, Eritrean troops retreated to the north,” they said. Relations between the two Horn-African neighboring countries, which fought a border war from 1998 to 2000, have deteriorated again in recent months.
Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of backing rebels in its northern Tigray state, and the two countries severed diplomatic ties last week. The government in Asmara in turn accuses Ethiopia of supporting its own opponents and of looking for a pretext to invade its territory and seize direct access to the Red Sea. Neither Ethiopia nor Eritrea commented on the drone strikes.
MG/abj/APA