Ethiopian marches attack Eritrean forces in Tigray.. Asmara denies

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Days after announcing Asmara's decision to sever ties with Addis Ababa, eyewitnesses and a conflict monitoring observatory reported Thursday that Ethiopian drones launched several raids during the night targeting Eritrean forces who had arrived in a city in the northern Tigray region.

The "Acled" organization, which monitors conflicts, reported that the city of Adigrat, near the border with Eritrea, and where Eritrean forces were seen on Wednesday, was subjected to "several drone strikes" targeting "Eritrean forces and ammunition," while a resident reported to Agence France-Presse that "a very large number of drone strikes occurred."

Note that hours ago, witnesses and experts reported that Eritrean soldiers entered the town of Adigrat, located in northern Ethiopia, in their cars, according to what Reuters reported. But on the other hand, Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel denied the presence of Eritrean forces there, describing witness accounts as “part of an Ethiopian plan to justify waging an aggressive war” against its smaller neighbor.

Yemane said, "Ethiopia is trying to portray this war as self-defense by fabricating various allegations against Eritrea... so we are linking the events together."

This came after Eritrea announced in early October the severing of all diplomatic relations with Ethiopia, in response to Addis Ababa's decision to close its embassy in Asmara and expel 10 Eritrean diplomats, including the Chargé d'Affaires and diplomats accredited to the African Union.

Asmara said that it "had no choice but to reciprocate" and announced the complete severing of diplomatic relations with Addis Ababa, in a move that came in the wake of the escalation of fighting in northern Ethiopia, especially in the Tigray region.

The US State Department urged both Asmara and Addis Ababa to exercise restraint, warning that any conflict could jeopardize US cooperation with the two countries.

Note that the roots of the current tension go back to the deterioration of relations between the two countries after years of rapprochement that followed the peace agreement in 2018, when Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki announced an end to the state of war, the resumption of diplomatic relations, and the opening of the borders between the two countries. However, relations later witnessed a setback, especially after the war in Tigray between 2020 and 2022.