World

Eritrean Soldiers Enter Tigray, Residents Report Convoys Heading Toward Edaga Hamus

By Today News Hours Editorial Desk

Eritrean soldiers have crossed into northern Ethiopia, moving toward areas where clashes between the national army and regional forces have been occurring, residents of the Tigrayan town of Adigrat told the BBC. The fighting began two weeks ago after months of tension between the government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), each blaming the other for violating a 2022 agreement that ended a two‑year civil war. Ethiopia has accused Eritrea of supporting the TPLF, a claim that Asmara has denied. The latest unrest follows the September launch of a new alliance of armed groups in Ethiopia that includes the TPLF.

Over the weekend, TPLF forces withdrew from Mekelle, the region’s main city 115 km (71 mi) south of Adigrat, which is now under army control. Eritrea had been a key ally of Ethiopia during the 2020‑2022 war against the TPLF, but relations have deteriorated, partly over Ethiopia’s ambition to control one of Eritrea’s Red Sea ports. Last week the two countries severed diplomatic ties as renewed fighting raised fears of a wider regional conflict.

The BBC cannot report from Tigray and surrounding areas, but mobile phone and internet access have largely been restored since the military took over Mekelle. Multiple accounts say Eritrean troops moved from the border town of Zalambessa toward central Tigray, with convoys reportedly passing through Adigrat and heading toward Edaga Hamus, a town between Adigrat and Mekelle. One resident of Adigrat, who asked to remain anonymous, said he saw about 40 trucks carrying soldiers moving south. A second resident reported seeing trucks with Eritrean registration plates at night and, the next morning, 20 to 30 large trucks heading toward Edaga Hamus. He added that acquaintances had seen additional vehicles carrying heavy weapons, including anti‑aircraft guns, and that some troops were also moving on foot.

A source in Mekelle told the BBC that relatives in Adigrat described even larger troop movements, estimating up to 60 trucks carrying soldiers who were later deployed in mountainous terrain near Edaga Hamus. Images circulating on social media appear to show heavily loaded military trucks carrying uniformed personnel toward Adigrat, Edaga Hamus and possibly Wukro, another key town along the corridor between Adigrat and Mekelle. The BBC has not independently verified the images.

Sources in Wukro told the BBC that national army soldiers and allied fighters entered the town on Wednesday after an exchange of heavy weapons about 15 km south of the town. The BBC has not yet been able to independently verify any of the reported troop movements.

The reported return of Eritrean forces has sparked anxiety among many Tigray residents, some recalling atrocities allegedly committed by Eritrean soldiers during the recent civil war. One Adigrat resident said that seeing Eritrean soldiers again was emotionally distressing: “The memories are still fresh. I was emotional myself. People are saddened to see them back again.” A resident of Edaga Hamus also reported Eritrean troops passing through the town and said drone strikes had occurred nearby, with soldiers targeted.

In a recent interview with private station Fana Television, senior Ethiopian government official Abraham Belay accused Eritrea of direct participation in the conflict. “The Eritrean army has participated with its full capacity and logistics,” he said. “Many Eritrean soldiers have been killed and captured. There is no doubt that the retaliation will be double. They will see what it means to enter the border of another country and fight alongside bandits.”