Eritrea has deployed its troops in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region amid ongoing fighting between forces loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF), witnesses told APA on Wednesday.
Residents in Adigrat, a town near Ethiopia-Eritrea border, told APA that they have seen soldiers in Eritrean military uniforms in and around the town and moving south toward Mekelle, the regional capital.
The residents said they saw Eritrean forces while heading toward Idaga Hamus, about 20 kilometers south of Adigrat, carrying heavy weaponry.
The deployment comes as fighting in Tigray has intensified since 23 September, reviving fears that the renewed conflict could develop into regional conflict, drawing Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt.
Eritrea has denied Ethiopian allegations that it is supporting the TPLF or being part of a military alliance which comprises seven armed groups fighting to step down the Ethiopian government.
Ethiopia, however, has accused Eritrea of directly supporting forces opposing the federal government. Meanwhile, Eritrea accuses Ethiopia of attempting to get access to the Red Sea by force.
The latest developments come amid an unprecedented collapse in relations between the two neighboring countries.
On 1 October, Ethiopia announced the closure of its embassy in Asmara and expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats, declaring them persona non grata and accusing them of activities that posed a threat to national security.
Eritrea also severed its diplomatic relations with Ethiopia and closed its embassy in Addis Ababa. Both sides accused the other of fueling internal conflicts.
The diplomatic rupture follows a rapid deterioration in relations over several issues, including the renewed fighting in Tigray and Ethiopia’s increasingly assertive campaign to secure access to the Red Sea.
Ethiopia has also accused Eritrea of supporting armed opposition groups, while Asmara has repeatedly rejected allegations of interference in Ethiopian affairs.
Eritrean forces fought alongside Ethiopia’s federal forces against Tigrayan forces during the 2020-22 devastating war, which ended with the November 2022 Pretoria cessation of hostilities agreement.
Eritrea was not a party to that agreement, and relations between Addis Ababa and Asmara subsequently deteriorated. The war has killed upwards of 600,000 people.
MG/as/APA