Eritrean troops reported moving south through Ethiopia’s Tigray region

Eritrean troops were reported moving south through Adigrat in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region on Wednesday, 7 October, according to residents who spoke separately to the BBC and Agence France-Presse. The accounts place forces from Eritrea near renewed fighting between Ethiopian federal troops and Tigrayan forces, raising concern that the conflict could spread across the border. The extent of any Eritrean deployment remains unclear.

The BBC said residents described convoys travelling from the border area towards Edaga Hamus, between Adigrat and the regional capital, Mekelle. AFP separately reported that multiple sources placed Eritrean troops around Adigrat, about 115 kilometres north of Mekelle, and said they were moving south. These are accounts from sources in the area; neither report establishes a verified total of troops or vehicles.

What residents reported seeing near Adigrat

One Adigrat resident told the BBC they saw about 40 trucks carrying soldiers moving south. Another said 20 to 30 large trucks headed towards Edaga Hamus and described vehicles with Eritrean registration plates passing through the city. A source in Mekelle relayed relatives’ estimate of as many as 60 trucks. Those figures describe separate observations and secondhand accounts, and should not be added together as a count of the force.

Two eyewitnesses in Adigrat told AFP they saw Eritrean soldiers heading south in lorries with heavy weapons. An unnamed local official told the agency that troops had been present for days and that residents were very concerned. The BBC also quoted a resident who said the sight of Eritrean soldiers brought back painful memories of the previous war. Such accounts describe the immediate effect of the reported movements on people living along the route.

What the conflict monitor and governments have said

AFP reported that conflict monitor ACLED said Eritrean troops crossed the border at Zelambesa on Wednesday. ACLED also reported that Tigrayan rebel forces were heavily present around Wukro, a town on the route towards Mekelle. Its assessment was that Eritrean forces entered Tigray to stop Ethiopian government and allied forces reaching the border and potentially taking the fighting into Eritrea. That explanation is ACLED’s assessment, not an established account of Eritrean orders.

Gebreigziabher Beyene, commander of the pro-government Tigray Peace Force militia, told AFP that Eritrean troops had entered in uniform with heavy weapons and were being struck by drones. Separately, an Edaga Hamus resident told the BBC that Eritrean troops had passed through the town and that drone strikes had occurred nearby. The available reports do not establish casualty figures from those accounts.

Eritrea’s information minister, Yemane Meskel, said on X that Ethiopia was promoting a ‘fallacious narrative’ of self-defence to disguise aggression, AFP reported. His cited statement did not explicitly confirm or deny a crossing. Ethiopia has accused Eritrea of backing the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, or TPLF; Eritrea has previously denied that allegation. The positions of the two governments therefore do not settle what happened on the ground.

How the fighting reached this point

Fighting between the TPLF and Ethiopian federal forces began on 23 September, according to AFP, after months of tension described by the BBC. The Ethiopian army entered Mekelle over the weekend after TPLF forces withdrew, both outlets reported. The BBC said sources reported Ethiopian soldiers and allied fighters entering Wukro on Wednesday after an exchange of heavy weapons south of the town, but said it could not independently verify those accounts.

The renewed conflict follows the 2020–2022 civil war, in which Eritrea fought alongside Ethiopia against the TPLF. Ethiopia’s government and the TPLF now accuse one another of violating the 2022 agreement that ended that war, according to the BBC. The earlier fighting left residents with memories that help explain the anxiety reported in Adigrat, even as the present military situation remains difficult to verify.

Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a border war from 1998 to 2000. Relations improved after Abiy Ahmed became Ethiopia’s prime minister in 2018, AFP reported, before deteriorating over Ethiopia’s claims to access to the sea. Last week, Ethiopia expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats and closed its embassy in Asmara; Eritrea said it would sever diplomatic ties. Britain and the United States were among the countries warning citizens against travel in northern Ethiopia, according to AFP.

The independently gathered accounts establish a reported Eritrean presence and southward movement near Adigrat, alongside ACLED’s report of a border crossing. They do not establish how many troops entered Tigray, how far they moved, or whether the deployment will continue. Those limits matter as residents and neighbouring countries confront the possibility of a wider conflict.