Residents of Adigrat told the BBC that Eritrean soldiers crossed from the border town of Zalambessa into northern Ethiopia, with dozens of trucks, some carrying heavy weapons including anti-aircraft guns, seen moving south toward Edaga Hamus and Mekelle; a resident there reported drone strikes nearby, and sources in Wukro said national army soldiers and allied fighters entered the town Wednesday after a heavy-weapons exchange 15 km south. The fighting broke out two weeks ago, with the government and the TPLF each blaming the other for violating the 2022 deal that ended the two-year civil war, and TPLF forces withdrew from Mekelle over the weekend, leaving the city under army control. Eritrea was Ethiopia’s ally in the 2020-2022 war, which drove Tigray to the brink of famine, but relations have collapsed over the Ethiopian prime minister’s Red Sea port ambitions and the two countries severed diplomatic relations last week; senior Ethiopian official Abraham Belay told Fana Television the Eritrean army “has participated with its full capacity and logistics,” adding “there is no doubt that the retaliation will be double.”
Eritrean troops push deeper into Ethiopia's Tigray region
Residents of Adigrat told the BBC that Eritrean soldiers have crossed into northern Ethiopia and are moving toward central Tigray, with convoys of dozens of trucks seen heading south, as fighting between the government and the TPLF spreads two weeks after it broke out.
Why it matters: Eritrea's entry would turn a renewed internal war into a cross-border conflict with famine precedent; the two countries severed diplomatic relations last week over Ethiopia's Red Sea port ambitions.
Data as of October 8, 2026. Troop-movement accounts come from residents speaking to the BBC; the BBC has not independently verified the social-media images of military convoys, and Eritrean participation is alleged by Ethiopian officials, a claim Asmara has previously denied in similar circumstances. Ethiopia's accusation that Eritrea backs the TPLF and the TPLF's counter-claims are treated as each side's narrative.
Sources
- Eritrean troops move deep into Ethiopia's Tigray region, residents tell BBC · BBC News · 2026-10-07
- Witnesses spot Eritrean troops inside northern Ethiopia as tensions flare · Al Jazeera · 2026-10-07