Eritrean Troops Drive Through Northern Ethiopian Town, Witnesses Say
Two witnesses said they saw trucks carrying dozens of Eritrean soldiers in Adigrat, a report that could mark the first confirmed crossing during the conflict.
- Two witnesses reported seeing Eritrean soldiers driving through the northern Ethiopian town of Adigrat on Wednesday, marking the first confirmation of Eritrean forces on Ethiopian soil during the current conflict.
- Diplomatic ties between the Horn of Africa neighbors were severed last week amid fighting in Tigray, Amhara, and Afar, with Ethiopia accusing Eritrea of supporting a rebel alliance.
- Residents identified the soldiers by their off-white camouflage uniforms; Adigrat is located about 25 km south of the border and has not experienced prior clashes.
- Eritrea's information minister Yemane Gebremeskel denied forces were present, calling the witness accounts a plan to justify "a war of aggression." Ethiopia also accused Egypt and Sudan of supporting the opposition alliance.
- On Saturday, the State Department urged Asmara and Addis Ababa to exercise restraint, warning that a conflict would jeopardize US collaboration with both countries as regional tensions escalate.
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Eritrea's command has moved troops to Ethiopian territory, Addis Ababa demands their immediate withdrawal, Bloomberg stated Ethiopia's Government Minister, Enatalem Meles. "All foreign military forces operating in our sovereign territory must leave immediately. (...) Eritrean troops active in the Tigray region must withdraw without delay from Ethiopian territory," she said.
The Asmara army supports the insurgents of the Tigray People's Liberation Front in the fight against the Central Ethiopian Government. Eritrean military trucks and heavy equipment were seen on Ethiopian territory.
Reports of Asmara troops across the border. Replica: Point to the coast
Eritrean troops drive through northern Ethiopian town, witnesses say
Eritrean soldiers drove through the northern Ethiopian town of Adigrat on Wednesday, two witnesses told Reuters, days after the Horn of Africa neighbours severed diplomatic ties, raising fears of outright conflict.
Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed strengthens his power - and calculates with a regional war in Tigray. But his opponents close the ranks.
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