Witnesses have reported seeing Eritrean soldiers driving through a northern Ethiopian town, days after the two neighbouring countries severed diplomatic ties.
At least two witnesses said they saw "dozens" of Eritrean soldiers pass through Adigrat in two trucks on Wednesday. The town lies 25 kilometres south of the Eritrean border. The witnesses said they identified the soldiers by their off-white camouflage uniforms.
A third Adigrat resident, who was not in town at the time, said family members had also reported seeing Eritrean troops. The accounts could not be independently verified.
Gebreigziabher Beyene, commander of the Tigray Peace Force, a pro-government militia that has fought alongside the federal army, said Eritrean forces had entered the region in force.
"The Eritrean army has entered Tigray in uniform, equipped with heavy weaponry," he said. "This force is being struck by drones." He added that Eritrea was "deliberately deploying its forces so that the fighting takes place inside Tigray rather than spilling into Eritrea."
The previous week, the chief administrator of Ethiopia's northeastern Afar region also said Eritrean troops were fighting in the area, though that claim could not be confirmed.
Eritrea's Information Minister Yemane Meskel did not deny that troops had crossed the border. In a statement posted on X, he said Ethiopia's government was creating "a fallacious narrative of 'self-defense' to rationalise and camouflage its war of aggression."
If confirmed, the troop presence would mark the first time Eritrean forces have been seen inside Ethiopia since fighting resumed on September 23 between Ethiopian federal forces and a seven-group armed alliance that includes the Tigray People's Liberation Front.
Ethiopia has accused Eritrea, Egypt, and Sudan of backing the armed alliance, which is fighting to remove the government. All three countries have denied involvement.
Eritrea announced it was severing ties with Ethiopia on Thursday, after Addis Ababa said it would close its embassy in Asmara and expel ten Eritrean diplomats. In a statement, Eritrea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Ethiopia's actions had left it with "no option but to reciprocate in kind and sever all diplomatic ties with Ethiopia."
Earlier this week, Ethiopian forces captured Mekelle, the regional capital of Tigray, days after the TPLF confirmed it had withdrawn from the city and moved its regional administration to another location on a temporary basis.
The fall of Mekelle coincided with the swearing-in of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for another five-year term, during which he insisted that his landlocked country must have access to the Red Sea.
On the same day, Eritrea joined Somalia, Sudan, and Egypt in issuing a joint declaration calling for a political and peaceful solution to the conflict in Ethiopia. The declaration appeared to push back against several policies pursued by Addis Ababa in recent years, underscoring deepening rifts between Ethiopia and its neighbours.
