San Francisco Frontiers - Eritrea, Ethiopia trade barbs as Tigray rebels retreat

Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of backing rebels in its northern Tigray state, who launched attacks against federal forces last month.

The two countries severed diplomatic relations, and over the past week, Eritrean troops have been seen in northern Tigray with Ethiopia launching drone strikes against their forces.

A foreign security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP they estimated 5,000 to 8,000 Eritrean soldiers were present in Tigray.

Eritrea's conduct is "a blatant act of aggression that engages Ethiopia's inherent right to self-defence", Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos wrote in a letter to diplomats.

Eritrea's information minister, Yemane Gebremeskel, responded on X that it was facing "an unprovoked war of aggression" from Ethiopia.

Over the past week, the Ethiopian army has pushed back the rebel Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and seized their capital city, Mekelle, with Ethiopian Airlines saying flights to the city would resume from October 11.

There are also signs that federal forces have pushed back the Eritrean troops with heavy drone strikes.

- Rebels lose cities -

Witnesses told AFP on Friday that the rebels had lost two other cities in Tigray: Shire and Adigrat.

An aid worker in Shire said TPLF fighters and the local administration left on Wednesday.

"Looters are operating in the city, and four people were killed and 11 injured in an exchange of gunfire related to the looting," he said, adding that pro-government forces were yet to enter the city.

Eritrean forces were seen in Adigrat in recent days before being targeted by Ethiopian drone strikes, according to a conflict monitor and witnesses.

The rebels were retreating to Sheraro, a town near the Eritrean border, according to a Tigrayan official from a TPLF dissident faction.

Kjetil Tronvoll, regional specialist at Oslo New University College, told AFP that the TPLF was "withering", with low morale and frustration with their leaders.

"Many are defecting and going back to their villages," he said.

"I do not believe (Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed) will stop at the border," Tronvoll said.

Landlocked Ethiopia has repeatedly insisted that it has a right to direct sea access, which Eritrea interprets as a threat to invade and seize its port at Assab.

"The hysterical infatuation with the Red Sea must also be seen with previous intentions to wage a war of invasion against Eritrea," the Eritrean information minister said.

Authorities in both countries have not responded to AFP requests for comment.

Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993 and fought a brutal border war from 1998 to 2000.

Relations improved with the rise to power of Abiy in 2018 and Eritrea fought alongside Ethiopia during the latter's 2020-2022 civil war against the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).

But relations deteriorated after the war, with Eritrea angry over the way it was concluded, and fearing an Ethiopian invasion.

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H.Reyes--SFF