Ethiopia drones hit Eritrean troops in Tigray

Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993, cutting off Ethiopia from the coast.(AFP) — Ethiopian drone strikes have targeted Eritrean forces that had reached a northern Tigrayan city, a conflict monitor and witnesses said Thursday, amid fears of a wider regional war.Relations between the two neighboring countries, which fought a border war from 1998 to 2000, have again deteriorated in recent months.Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of backing rebels in its northern Tigray region, and the two countries severed diplomatic ties last week.The government in Asmara, in turn, accuses Ethiopia of supporting its opponents and looking for a pretext to invade Eritrean territory and seize direct access to the Red Sea.Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Meskel said on X that Ethiopia was “openly working to bring about regime change in Eritrea by providing shelter and support to certain mercenaries who claim to be opposition.”Asmara’s troops crossed the border this week and were positioned around the Ethiopian city of Adigrat in northern Tigray, multiple sources have told AFP.Conflict monitor ACLED said “Eritrean troops and ammunition” in the Adigrat area were hit by “multiple drone strikes” overnight Wednesday into Thursday.“There were many, many drone strikes yesterday. Some Eritrean lorries have been destroyed. They are no longer in the streets,” one witness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP.Another witness in Adigrat, who also asked for anonymity, said they had heard a “massive explosion during the night.”“I also saw Eritrean military vehicles that had been hit by a drone,” they added.A third witness said Eritrean troops appeared to be retreating north.Strained relationsNeither Ethiopia nor Eritrea has responded to questions about the fighting.A high-ranking Ethiopian federal army commander sought to play down the conflict in comments to AFP.The commander, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there were “small pockets of the enemy forces still resisting and trying to create trouble.”Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993, cutting off Ethiopia from the coast.After years of war and tension, relations improved markedly when Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed rose to power in 2018.Eritrea fought alongside Ethiopia during Ethiopia’s 2020-22 civil war against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.But the relationship deteriorated soon after, with Eritrea voicing anger over the terms of the peace agreement that ended the war and, later, Ethiopia’s claims that it has a right to sea access.Earlier this month, Ethiopia expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats and shut its embassy in Asmara, while Eritrea responded that it would “sever all diplomatic ties.”Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads