Eritrean Troops Reportedly Cross Into Northern Ethiopia as Diplomatic Rupture Deepens

Witnesses in northern Ethiopia have reported seeing Eritrean soldiers moving through a border town this week, raising the prospect that Asmara has inserted forces into its neighbour's territory just days after the two countries severed diplomatic relations.

At least two people in Adigrat, a town roughly 25 kilometres from the Eritrean border, told Reuters they observed dozens of Eritrean troops travelling through the area in two trucks on Wednesday. The witnesses said they recognised the soldiers by their distinctive off-white camouflage uniforms.

A third resident of Adigrat, who was away from the town at the time, said relatives had described the same scene to him. Reuters said it was unable to independently confirm the accounts, and no official verification has yet emerged from either capital.

The reported sightings mark a significant escalation in a rapidly deteriorating confrontation between Ethiopia and Eritrea, whose frosty relationship has collapsed entirely over the past two weeks. If confirmed, it would be the first known presence of Eritrean forces inside Ethiopia since fighting resumed on September 23 between Ethiopian government troops and a broad armed alliance of seven groups, including the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).

The claims were amplified by a commander of the Tigray Peace Force, a pro-government militia that has fought alongside Ethiopia's federal army. Gebreigziabher Beyene alleged that Eritrean troops had entered Tigray in uniform and with heavy weaponry, and that they were being targeted by drone strikes.

Beyene further accused Asmara of deliberately positioning its forces so that combat unfolds on Tigrayan soil rather than crossing into Eritrea. That characterisation, if accurate, would suggest Eritrea is using northern Ethiopia as a buffer zone to shield its own territory from the conflict.

Eritrea's Information Minister, Yemane Meskel, responded in a post on X but did not directly deny that soldiers had crossed the frontier. Instead, he accused Ethiopia's government of constructing what he called a "fallacious narrative of 'self-defense'" intended to justify and disguise what he described as a war of aggression.

The exchange fits a pattern of mutual recrimination that has accelerated sharply in recent days. Last week, the chief administrator of Ethiopia's northeastern Afar region also claimed Eritrean troops were fighting there, an assertion Reuters likewise could not verify.

Diplomatic ties between the two countries formally ended after Addis Ababa announced it would close its embassy in Asmara and expel ten Eritrean diplomats. Eritrea's foreign ministry responded by saying it had "no option but to reciprocate in kind" and sever all diplomatic relations. The tit-for-tat rupture came after years of fragile reconciliation that had once been hailed as a historic peace breakthrough.

Ethiopia's government has separately accused Eritrea, along with Egypt and Sudan, of backing the armed alliance seeking to topple it. All three countries have rejected that allegation. The alignment of accusations reflects the widening chasm between Addis Ababa and several of its neighbours, each with its own grievances over Ethiopian policies.

The situation on the ground in Tigray has shifted dramatically in parallel. On Monday, Ethiopian forces captured Mekelle, the regional capital, days after the TPLF confirmed it had withdrawn from the city and relocated its regional administration temporarily elsewhere. The advance marked a major reversal for the rebel alliance that had briefly seized the city.

That same day, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was sworn in for another five-year term. During the ceremony, he reiterated that landlocked Ethiopia must secure access to the Red Sea, a demand that has unsettled coastal neighbours and become a central flashpoint in regional diplomacy.

Also on Monday, Eritrea joined Somalia, Sudan and Egypt in issuing a joint declaration urging a political and peaceful resolution to the war in Ethiopia. The statement appeared to challenge several policies Ethiopia has pursued in recent years, underscoring how estranged Addis Ababa has become from capitals across the region.

For Ethiopia, the reported Eritrean incursion compounds an already volatile security picture. The government is simultaneously contending with a multi-group insurgency, managing the aftermath of retaking Mekelle, and facing diplomatic isolation. Any confirmed foreign troop presence would likely harden its public posture and could draw further international scrutiny.

For Eritrea, the episode carries its own risks. Asmara has long been wary of the TPLF, its former adversary, and may see the current conflict as an opportunity to degrade a rival. But overt military involvement could expose Eritrean forces to sustained drone and artillery attacks, as Beyene's remarks suggest is already occurring.

The accounts remain unverified, and the fog of war around northern Ethiopia makes independent reporting difficult. Yet the timing — a diplomatic break followed swiftly by witness reports of uniformed soldiers — means the allegation is likely to shape the narrative on both sides regardless of what verification eventually shows.

Regional observers will be watching whether the reported deployment is an isolated cross-border movement or the start of something more sustained. Either way, the incident adds a dangerous new dimension to a conflict that is already drawing in multiple armed factions and reshaping alliances across the Horn of Africa.