Ethiopia demands that Eritrea withdraw its forces from its territory immediately

Listen to the article. The audio text is automated, generated by an automated system

The Ethiopian government called for the immediate withdrawal of Eritrean forces from the country's territory, in a letter sent to the UN Security Council, which was reviewed by a senior Ethiopian government source, at a time when military confrontations continue in the far north of the Tigray region.

Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gideon Timothy stated, in the letter dated October 8, that the presence of Eritrean forces left Ethiopia with no choice but to defend itself against Eritrea.

Diplomatic sources reported that the message considered the crossing of the border by Eritrean forces an invasion and a violation of Ethiopia’s sovereignty, and stressed that Addis Ababa had no choice but to defend itself.

Witnesses and experts said that Eritrean soldiers were seen in northern Ethiopia this week, after the two countries severed their diplomatic relations a few days ago, which raised fears of an open conflict breaking out between them.

On the other hand, Asmara completely denied the Ethiopian story. Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel rejected reports about the presence of Eritrean forces in the city of Adigrat, considering them part of an Ethiopian attempt to justify waging war against Eritrea.

Local sources reported to Al-Arabiya.net/Al-Hadath.net that forces from the Eritrean army penetrated into Ethiopian territory and deployed around Adigrat in the northern Tigray region, an area close to Eritrea, in light of the escalation in military statements exchanged between the two countries. According to the same sources, Adigrat is about 40 kilometers south of the Eritrean border, while some of these forces are heading south towards Mekele, the capital of the region. The Ethiopian federal forces and their allied forces from Tigray took control of the city without a fight, after the Tigray Liberation Front forces withdrew from it.

Confrontations continue between the Ethiopian government and Tigray forces in the mountainous areas in the far north of the region on the border with Eritrea, amid a great scarcity of field news.

In the Amhara region, media outlets affiliated with the Fano forces circulated news of their control of 10 towns in northern Shoa, the capture of 520 federal army soldiers, and the seizure of more than 1,500 firearms in a coordinated attack.

The Fano leadership confirmed that its forces invaded fortified government sites, captured 520 members of the National Defense Forces, and took control of cities and strategic sites in the far north of Amhara, bordering the Tigray region. There has been no independent confirmation of these numbers yet from a neutral source or the Ethiopian army.

This escalation comes a few days after Asmara severed its diplomatic relations with Addis Ababa, in response to Ethiopia closing its embassy in Eritrea and expelling 10 Eritrean diplomats. In light of the severance of relations between the two countries, diplomatic escalation continues between them.