Ethiopian Drone Strikes Hit Eritrean Forces in Tigray, Border Conflict Sharply Escalates After Diplomatic Break

According to conflict monitoring organization ACLED and AFP, the Ethiopian military launched multiple rounds of drone strikes against Eritrean forces and ammunition deep in Adigrat city in northern Tigray state during Wednesday-to-Thursday overnight. AFP had earlier cited multiple sources confirming that Eritrean forces had crossed the border this week and entered areas around Adigrat.

"Yesterday there were many, many drone strikes, some Eritrean trucks were blown up, they are no longer on the streets," a local eyewitness who declined to be identified by name told AFP. Another eyewitness said they heard "a huge explosion" at night and that they "saw Eritrean military vehicles hit by drones." A third eyewitness said Eritrean forces appeared to be retreating northward.

Eritrea's Information Minister Yemane Meskel posted on the social platform X on Thursday, accusing Ethiopia in return of being "openly committed to promoting regime change in Eritrea by sheltering and supporting certain mercenaries who call themselves opposition." This accusation mirrors Ethiopia's accusations against Eritrea — Ethiopia has charged that Eritrea supports rebel forces in its Tigray state. Both countries have accused the other of using "fostering the opposition" as a cover, but neither has publicly provided specific evidence supporting its claims.

The confrontation has spread to the diplomatic level. Earlier this month, Ethiopia expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats and closed its embassy in Asmara, and Eritrea promptly announced it would sever all diplomatic relations. The two countries fought a border war from 1998 to 2000.

Faced with the sudden flare-up of border hostilities, the transparency of both governments is close to zero. Neither Ethiopia nor Eritrea responded to requests for comment on the fighting. A senior commander of the Ethiopian federal army, who also declined to be named, downplayed the conflict to AFP, saying only "small enemy groups remain resisting and trying to cause trouble."

Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993, leaving landlocked Ethiopia without an outlet to the sea. After years of war and tense standoff, relations between the two countries had briefly warmed with Abiy Ahmed's rise to the office of Ethiopian prime minister in 2018, and Eritrea even fought alongside Ethiopia against the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) during the Tigray war of 2020 to 2022. Disagreements over the terms of the peace agreement, combined with Ethiopia's pursuit of Red Sea access (dismissed by Eritrea as a pretext to seek territorial invasion), have pushed relations back toward rupture.

The simultaneous occurrence of the drone strikes and the diplomatic break marks the most dangerous moment this border has slid toward since the end of the war at the beginning of the century. Sources generally provided information on condition of anonymity, and specific casualty and battle outcome figures cannot be independently verified; whether Eritrean forces are indeed retreating northward, and whether third countries or outside forces are involved, remain unclear.