Eritrean Troops Reported Inside Ethiopia’s Tigray as Witnesses Describe Convoy Moving Toward Central Region
Witnesses in Adigrat say dozens of Eritrean soldiers drove through the Tigrayan town on 7 October after moving from Zalambessa toward Edaga Hamus, in what would be the first reported sighting of Eritrean forces inside Tigray in months if confirmed.
Fresh witness reports of Eritrean soldiers on the move inside Ethiopia’s Tigray region are stoking concern that a fragile calm could give way to renewed fighting.
Residents in Adigrat said they saw dozens of Eritrean troops drive through the town on 7 October. The soldiers had reportedly moved from the border town of Zalambessa toward central Tigray and were heading in the direction of Edaga Hamus.
If confirmed, this would be the first reported sighting of Eritrean forces inside Tigray in months. The accounts have not yet been independently verified, and there have been no public statements from either the Eritrean or Ethiopian governments acknowledging new deployments.
Even unconfirmed signs of Eritrean movement carry weight in a region where Eritrean units played a major role in the previous Tigray war. Their past presence was associated with severe abuses and heavy fighting in several towns and rural districts.
For Tigray’s civilians and authorities, any renewed Eritrean presence would complicate an already fragile security picture and risk undermining efforts to restore basic services and rebuild damaged communities.
The wider Horn of Africa will be watching for concrete confirmation of the reported convoy near Adigrat and Edaga Hamus, for official responses from Asmara and Addis Ababa, and for any change in humanitarian access or displacement patterns from border areas that could signal a slide back toward open conflict.
Sources
- OSINT