Ethiopian Government Formally Condemns Eritrean Territorial Incursion as Its Forces Reach Deeper into Tigray

Reports emerged today of Eritrean troops advancing deeper into Tigray, reaching as far as Adigrat, the region’s second-largest city after the capital, Mekelle. The Ethiopian government has responded with an official statement condemning the invasion. Enatalem Melese, Minister of the Government Communication Service, speaking to Bloomberg, confirmed the position, stating that “Eritrean forces operating in Tigray must leave Ethiopian territory without delay.”

The presence of Eritrean forces inside Tigray has been known and evidenced for some time, and senior Ethiopian politicians and army officials have spoken of it publicly. The minister’s words nevertheless carry a different weight. They amount to official confirmation that Eritrea has embarked on an invasion by committing its troops directly.

The escalation follows an offensive launched by the TPLF on the 23^rd September, which had grown increasingly at odds with the Ethiopian government since the conclusion of the Tigray conflict. The front moved after forming an alliance with six other rebel groups in the country, a coalition that includes the AFNM in Amhara and the OLA in Oromia.

Eritrea has backed this coalition. Asmara itself had been moving into gradually closer alignment with the rebel groups, the TPLF in particular, over roughly the same period. In effect, it was building a proxy strategy against the Ethiopian government, whose military capabilities far exceed those of Eritrea. Working through the coalition allowed Asmara to pressure and destabilise Ethiopia without committing its own forces.

The TPLF offensive, however, was completely reversed. The ENDF and its allies captured the Tigray regional capital, Mekelle, on 3 October, and the TPLF leadership fled Mekelle, reportedly, to Eritrean territory. That development in effect, has undermined Eritrea’s buffer zone strategy, which relied on proxies to keep the Ethiopian security forces bogged down in civil conflict. With the regional capital lost and the ENDF making advances, the proxy arrangement is increasingly losing its depth inside Ethiopia.

Asmara, it seems, has responded by moving its troops into the fighting and engaging Ethiopian forces directly.

The country now faces the question of securing its borders and defending its sovereignty. The question has become acute with Eritrean defence forces reaching deep into Ethiopian territory. The presence of a foreign army this far inside the country turns a long-standing concern into an immediate one.

Eritrea, in taking this step, has brought the possibility of war with Ethiopia much closer to reality.