Eritrean Forces Push Deep Into Tigray as Fears of Wider Ethiopian War Mount

Eritrean military units have crossed into northern Ethiopia and are advancing toward an area where fierce clashes have erupted between Ethiopia's national army and regional forces, according to multiple residents of the Tigrayan town of Adigrat who spoke with the BBC. The reported incursion marks a dramatic escalation in a conflict that has been building for months and now threatens to draw the Horn of Africa into a far broader war.

The fighting broke out approximately two weeks ago after a prolonged period of rising tension between Ethiopia's federal government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the party that governs Tigray. Each side has publicly accused the other of violating the peace agreement signed in 2022, which brought an end to a devastating two-year civil war that killed hundreds of thousands of people and pushed Tigray to the brink of famine.

The situation has been further complicated by Ethiopia's accusation that Eritrea is providing support to the TPLF — a claim Asmara has repeatedly denied. The diplomatic rift between the two neighbours has deepened considerably in recent days. Last week, Ethiopia and Eritrea severed diplomatic relations entirely as the renewed fighting fueled anxiety about a regional conflagration.

The latest surge in violence follows the formation in September of a new coalition of armed groups operating within Ethiopia, which includes the TPLF among its members. The alliance has raised alarm in Addis Ababa and added a new dimension to an already volatile security landscape.

According to witness accounts gathered by BBC Tigrinya, Eritrean troops have been moving from the border town of Zalambessa toward central Tigray. Convoys have reportedly passed through Adigrat and are heading toward Edaga Hamus, a town situated between Adigrat and Mekelle, the regional capital. Over the weekend, TPLF forces withdrew from Mekelle, which lies about 115 kilometres (71 miles) south of Adigrat and is now under the control of the national army.

One resident of Adigrat, who asked not to be identified because of security concerns, told the BBC: "I saw about 40 trucks carrying soldiers. The convoy was moving south." A second resident described initially observing troop movements at night, saying: "We have been seeing trucks with Eritrean registration plates passing through the city. Now this morning we witnessed around 20 to 30 large trucks heading toward Edaga Hamus."

The same witness added that acquaintances travelling along the route had spotted additional vehicles transporting heavy weaponry, including anti-aircraft guns, and noted that some soldiers were advancing on foot. A source in Mekelle told the BBC that relatives in Adigrat reported even larger troop movements, estimating they had seen as many as 60 trucks carrying soldiers who were subsequently deployed in mountainous terrain near Edaga Hamus.

Images circulating on social media appear to show heavily loaded military trucks carrying uniformed personnel moving toward Adigrat, Edaga Hamus and possibly Wukro, another key town along the corridor connecting Adigrat and Mekelle. The BBC has not independently verified these images. Sources in Wukro told the BBC that national army soldiers and allied fighters had entered the town on Wednesday following an exchange of heavy weapons approximately 15 kilometres south of the town.

The reported return of Eritrean forces has generated deep anxiety among many residents of Tigray, some of whom recall with horror the atrocities allegedly committed by Eritrean soldiers during the 2020-2022 civil war. Eritrea was a crucial ally of landlocked Ethiopia during that conflict, fighting alongside Ethiopian forces against the TPLF in what became one of the deadliest wars of this century. Relations between the two neighbours have since deteriorated, largely because of the Ethiopian prime minister's ambition to secure ownership of one of Eritrea's Red Sea ports.

One Adigrat resident described the emotional toll of witnessing Eritrean soldiers return: "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 those attacks.

In a recent interview with the 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 stated. "Many Eritrean soldiers have been killed and captured. There is no doubt that the retaliation will be double."

The BBC is unable to report from Tigray and surrounding areas, though mobile phone connections and internet access have been restored to most areas since the military took over Mekelle. The lack of independent access makes verification of the reported troop movements difficult, and the accounts provided by residents cannot be confirmed through official channels.

The international community has yet to respond formally to the latest reports, but the implications are severe. A renewed full-scale war involving Eritrea, Ethiopia's federal forces and the TPLF would destabilise the entire Horn of Africa region, which is already grappling with multiple humanitarian crises. During the previous conflict, Eritrean troops were accused of committing widespread atrocities, including massacres and sexual violence, allegations that Asmara has consistently rejected. The prospect of their return to Tigrayan soil raises the spectre of further bloodshed and potentially massive civilian displacement.