Eritrea rejects these allegations, seeing them as a pretext for Ethiopia for a new war.
Published on October 7, 2026
Eritrean soldiers were seen walking through a town in northern Ethiopia, witnesses told the Reuters news agency, days after ties between the neighboring countries were severed.
At least two witnesses told Reuters they saw “dozens” of Eritrean soldiers crossing Adigrat in two trucks on Wednesday. The city is located 25 km south of the border with Eritrea.
Witnesses said they could identify the soldiers as Eritrean by their off-white camouflage uniforms.
Another Adigrat resident who was not in town at the time said family members told him they had also seen Eritrean troops, according to Reuters, which could not independently verify their accounts.
“The Eritrean army entered Tigray in uniform, equipped with heavy weapons,” said Gebreigziabher Beyene, commander of the Tigray Peace Force, a pro-government militia that fought alongside the federal army.
“This force is being struck by drones,” he said, adding that Eritrea was “deliberately deploying its forces so that the fighting takes place inside Tigray rather than spreading into Eritrea.”
Last week, the chief administrator of Ethiopia’s northeastern Afar region said Eritrean troops were fighting in the area, but Reuters was unable to confirm the claim.
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If confirmed, it would be the first time Eritrean forces have been seen in Ethiopia since fighting resumed between Ethiopian forces and an alliance of seven armed groups, including the Tigray Popular Liberation Front (TPLF), on September 23.
Ethiopia has accused Eritrea, along with Egypt and Sudan, of supporting the armed alliance fighting to overthrow the government. All three countries have denied any involvement.
Eritrea announced Thursday it would cut ties with Ethiopia after Addis Ababa announced it would close its embassy in Asmara and expel 10 Eritrean diplomats.
In a statement, Eritrea’s foreign ministry said Ethiopia’s actions left it “with no choice but to reciprocate in kind and sever all diplomatic ties with Ethiopia.”
On Monday, Ethiopian forces captured Mekelle, Tigray’s regional capital, days after the TPLF confirmed it had withdrawn from the city and “temporarily” moved its regional administration to another location.
It came as Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was sworn in for a new five-year term, during which he insisted his landlocked country must have access to the Red Sea.
The same day, Eritrea joined Somalia, Sudan and Egypt in issuing a joint statement calling for a political and peaceful solution to the war in Ethiopia.
The statement appears to oppose several policies carried out by Ethiopia in recent years, highlighting the growing divisions between Addis Ababa and its neighbors.
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