ACLED analyst reports Eritrean troops entered Tigray — The National
Eritrean troops crossed Ethiopia’s border and entered the Tigray region, The National reports. According to Jalale Getachew Birru, an analyst at the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), the troops crossed the border near the town of Zalambessa and headed toward the road between Adigrat and Idaga Hamus.
Birru said that Ethiopian National Defense Force drones attacked Eritrean units near Guadi as they were traveling in vehicles toward Idaga Hamus. Residents of Adigrat, located about 25 km from the border, told Reuters that they saw two military vehicles carrying dozens of Eritrean soldiers.
Ethiopia’s demand and Asmara’s response
Ethiopia’s Minister of Government Communications, Enatalem Melese, demanded the immediate withdrawal of foreign troops from the country’s sovereign territory. Eritrea’s Information Minister Yemane Meskel did not directly deny that the border had been crossed, but accused Ethiopia of creating what he called a false narrative of self-defense to justify war.
The incident occurred several days after Ethiopia’s federal forces regained control of Mekelle, the capital of Tigray, which had been held by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. According to ACLED, the organization’s armed wing has a significant presence in Idaga Hamus and Adigrat, while many of its leaders are in the rural Ahferom district in central Tigray.
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Tensions between neighboring countries
Analyst Jalale Getachew Birru noted that Eritrea is suspected of supporting the Alliance for Survival, a coalition of seven armed groups that includes the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. According to him, the coalition was established last month with the aim of removing Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
Birru assessed that Asmara seeks to prevent Ethiopian government and allied forces from reaching the border so that fighting does not spread to Eritrean territory. Gebreigziabher Beyene, commander of the government-loyal Tigray Peace Forces, also told AFP that Eritrea is deploying forces so that fighting takes place in Tigray rather than spilling over onto its territory.
Last week, Ethiopia closed its embassy in Asmara and expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats, accusing them of posing a threat to national security. Eritrea responded by severing diplomatic relations. The United States called on both countries to exercise maximum restraint, stressing that the Horn of Africa cannot withstand another military conflict and humanitarian crisis.
