Fresh fighting in northern Ethiopia has raised fears of a wider regional escalation, with reports of Eritrean military movements into Tigray as Ethiopian federal forces battle regional fighters.
Fighting in Tigray erupted around two weeks ago after months of growing tension between Ethiopia’s federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which controls the region.
Both sides have accused each other of violating the 2022 agreement that ended a two-year civil war in northern Ethiopia.
The latest clashes come amid a rapidly changing military and political landscape in Tigray.
TPLF forces withdrew from the regional capital, Mekelle, over the weekend, leaving the city under the control of Ethiopia’s national army.
Military activity has also been reported further north and along the corridor linking Adigrat, Edaga Hamus, Wukro and Mekelle.
Reports indicate that Eritrean forces have moved southwards from areas near the Eritrea-Ethiopia border into northern Tigray, although the scale and precise nature of their deployment remain unclear.
Images circulating online have also purported to show military convoys travelling through parts of northern Tigray, but the footage has not been independently verified.
Tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea
Eritrea fought alongside Ethiopia’s federal forces against the TPLF during the 2020-2022 Tigray war.
Relations between Addis Ababa and Asmara have since sharply deteriorated, particularly amid disagreements over Ethiopia’s ambitions for greater access to the Red Sea.
Ethiopia has accused Eritrea of supporting the TPLF during the latest confrontation, an allegation Eritrea has previously denied.
The two countries severed diplomatic relations last week as tensions surrounding the renewed fighting intensified.
The deterioration in ties has fuelled concern that the conflict inside Ethiopia could expand beyond the country’s borders.
Ethiopian official accuses Eritrea of involvement
Senior Ethiopian government official Abraham Belay has publicly accused Eritrean forces of directly participating in the fighting.
Speaking to Ethiopia’s Fana Television, Belay claimed Eritrean troops had entered the conflict with significant military and logistical support.
“The Eritrean army has participated with its full capacity and logistics,” he said.
Belay also claimed Eritrean soldiers had been killed and captured during the fighting and warned that Ethiopia would retaliate.
Eritrea has not publicly confirmed deploying forces into Tigray in connection with the latest clashes.
Renewed instability in Tigray
The fighting follows the formation in September of a new alliance of armed groups in Ethiopia that includes the TPLF.
Tigray was at the centre of Ethiopia’s 2020-2022 civil war, which killed large numbers of people, displaced millions and created severe humanitarian conditions across the region.
The conflict formally ended with a peace agreement signed in Pretoria in November 2022, but tensions have continued over its implementation, security arrangements and the political future of Tigray.
The renewed clashes, combined with worsening relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea, have raised fears that northern Ethiopia could again become the centre of a broader regional conflict.
