Witnesses report Eritrean soldiers in Ethiopia’s Tigray region
Reuters could not independently verify accounts that dozens of soldiers travelled through Adigrat as diplomatic ties between the neighbours deteriorated.
At least two witnesses told Reuters they saw dozens of Eritrean soldiers in two trucks in Adigrat, in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, on Wednesday. They identified the soldiers by their off-white camouflage uniforms. Reuters said it could not independently verify the accounts.
A resident who was away from Adigrat at the time also told Reuters that family members had reported seeing Eritrean troops there. The reported sightings come amid renewed fighting in Ethiopia and worsening relations between Addis Ababa and Asmara.
Eritrea’s Information Minister Yemane Meskel did not explicitly confirm or deny a border crossing. In a post on X, he accused Ethiopia’s government of using a “fallacious” self-defence narrative to rationalise what he called a war of aggression.
The diplomatic rupture followed Ethiopia’s announcement that it would close its embassy in Asmara and expel 10 Eritrean diplomats. Eritrea then said it would sever diplomatic ties with Ethiopia.
Fighting between Ethiopian forces and an armed alliance that includes the Tigray People’s Liberation Front reportedly resumed on 23 September. Earlier allegations that Eritrean troops were fighting in Afar were also unconfirmed by Reuters.
