Africa · Public record

Ethiopia demands foreign troops leave Tigray as Eritrean forces reported in Adigrat

Ethiopia's government has demanded that foreign forces leave its territory, singling out Eritrean troops it says are operating in the northern Tigray region. Enatalem Melese, the minister of Ethiopia's Government Communication Service, made the demand on Wednesday 7 October. The minister said all foreign forces operating in Ethiopia's sovereign territory "must withdraw immediately", according to The National and Garowe Online; Garowe Online and Il Sole 24 Ore said the minister was speaking to Bloomberg.

The demand came on the day two residents of Adigrat, a Tigray town about 25 km south of the Eritrean border, told Reuters they had seen Eritrean soldiers drive through it. Reuters could not verify their accounts. Eritrea's information minister called the allegations a pretext for an Ethiopian war against his country. Neither government has formally declared war.

What is reported

• Ethiopia's demand. Il Sole 24 Ore reported that the minister accused Eritrean forces of operating in Tigray and urged them to leave without delay. Reuters reported on Wednesday that spokespeople for Ethiopia's government and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had not immediately responded to its requests for comment.
• Ethiopia's letter to the UN (update, 9 October). In a letter dated 8 October to members of the UN Security Council, Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos said Eritrean forces had advanced up to 60 km into Tigray. "The all-out invasion of parts of northern Ethiopia by Eritrea is a matter of public record," the letter said, calling it "a blatant act of aggression that engages Ethiopia's inherent right to self-defence," Reuters and the BBC reported. A senior Ethiopian official shared the letter with Reuters on Friday, and the BBC said it had seen it. We could not independently verify the 60 km figure.
• Eritrea's reply (9 October). Eritrea's information minister, Yemane Gebremeskel, said on X on Friday that Ethiopia had been "pursuing, in effect, an unprovoked war of aggression against Eritrea for more than three years," Reuters reported. His statement did not address the reported Eritrean deployments, Reuters said. In an earlier X post, reported by AFP and Euronews on 8 October, he said Ethiopia was "openly working to bring about regime change in Eritrea by providing shelter and support to certain mercenaries who claim to be opposition."
• The Adigrat sightings. The two residents told Reuters they saw two trucks carrying dozens of Eritrean soldiers drive through Adigrat on Wednesday morning, and that they recognised the soldiers by their off-white camouflage uniforms. They spoke on condition of anonymity. Al Jazeera, drawing on Reuters, said that if confirmed, it would be the first time Eritrean forces had been seen inside Ethiopia since fighting resumed on 23 September. The chief administrator of the neighbouring Afar region said last week that Eritrean troops were fighting there; Reuters could not confirm that either.
• A pro-government militia's account. Gebreigziabher Beyene, commander of the Tigray Peace Force, a pro-government militia, told AFP that Eritrea was "deliberately deploying its forces so that the fighting takes place inside Tigray rather than spilling into Eritrea", The National reported.
• Drone strikes. A conflict monitor's reports of Ethiopian drone strikes on Eritrean forces near Adigrat are covered in our Mekelle report.

Eritrea's response

• What Yemane Gebremeskel said. Eritrea's information minister said in a post on X on Wednesday that Ethiopia's government was creating "a fallacious narrative of 'self-defense' to rationalise and camouflage its war of aggression", Al Jazeera reported. Reuters quoted him as saying that Ethiopia had tried to recast its "war agenda in terms of self-defence by fabricating various allegations against Eritrea", adding: "So we connect the dots."
• Assab. Il Sole 24 Ore reported that Yemane attributed the reports to an Ethiopian plan to gain access to the Red Sea, with an advance aimed at capturing the Eritrean port of Assab. Ethiopia has said it seeks sea access by peaceful means, Reuters reported.
• Did he deny the troops were there? Accounts differ. Reuters reported that Yemane "denied Eritrean forces were there". Al Jazeera reported that his statement "did not deny that troops had crossed the border", and The National reported that "Eritrea did not deny its troops had crossed the border". His words as quoted dispute Ethiopia's account without saying directly whether Eritrean troops are in Tigray.

Context

• The sides have changed. Eritrean soldiers fought in support of Ethiopia's federal government during the 2020-2022 war in Tigray, Reuters reported. The 2026 allegation is the reverse. Ethiopia accuses Eritrea, Egypt and Sudan of backing the armed alliance fighting to remove its government, and all three deny it, Al Jazeera reported.
• Ethiopia has made this demand before. In a letter dated 7 February, Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos told his Eritrean counterpart, Osman Saleh Mohammed, that Eritrean forces had occupied Ethiopian territory along parts of the border, and demanded that Asmara "withdraw its troops from Ethiopian territory", Al Jazeera reported at the time.
• Diplomatic ties are already cut. Ethiopia said on 1 October that it would close its embassy in Asmara and expel 10 Eritrean diplomats, and Eritrea severed ties in response.
• The New Alamein declaration. On 4 October, Eritrea joined Egypt, Somalia and Sudan in a joint declaration in New Alamein, Egypt. Reuters, citing two Egyptian security officials and a political official who spoke anonymously, reported on 5 October that the four leaders agreed to coordinate military and intelligence efforts if the conflict escalated to Ethiopia's borders with Eritrea, Sudan and Somalia.
• Sea access. Sworn in for a new term on 5 October, Abiy told parliament: "Based on the principle of give and take, we will work diligently to ensure that Ethiopia has an outlet to the sea," Al Jazeera reported.
• The United States. On 3 October, the State Department urged Asmara and Addis Ababa to exercise restraint, Reuters reported.

What we infer (not a finding)

• A minister now demands that Eritrean troops leave. In the current fighting, Ethiopia's government had mainly accused Eritrea of backing the rebel alliance. A minister's demand that Eritrean forces withdraw moves the two states closer to a direct confrontation, in our reading. Its 8 October letter to Security Council members, which says Ethiopia is "left with no other option but to defend itself," goes further, the BBC reported. Neither is a declaration of war, and neither government has made one.
• Eritrea presents Ethiopian sea access as the real motive. That is Eritrea's claim. Ethiopia has not stated sea access as a war aim, and says it seeks access peacefully.
• One analyst sees a buffer strategy. Jalale Getachew Birru, East Africa analyst at the conflict monitor ACLED, told The National that "Eritrean forces entered the war in Tigray to halt the Ethiopian government and allied forces from reaching the border and potentially fighting within Eritrea's territory". That is his reading, not an established fact.

What we don't know (as of 20:00 ET on 9 October)

• How many Eritrean troops are in Tigray, if any, and which units. No source has given a number.
• Whether Ethiopia will publish its letter to the UN. As of Friday evening, the letter was known only from copies shared with Reuters and seen by the BBC; we did not find it in Ethiopian state media.
• The exact words of the demand. The National and Garowe Online quote the minister in slightly different words, and Bloomberg's article is behind a paywall.
• Whether Eritrea will answer formally. We found no Eritrean foreign ministry statement on the demand.

Ethiopia's demand is on the record; the presence of Eritrean troops in Tigray is not independently confirmed. Neither government has formally declared war.

Sources

• Bloomberg, "Ethiopia Accuses Eritrea of Incursion, Demands Troop Withdrawal", 7 October 2026 (paywalled; we could not read the full text): https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-10-07/ethiopia-accuses-eritrea-of-incursion-demands-troop-withdrawal
• The National, "Ethiopia and Eritrea edge closer to direct conflict as troops enter Tigray", 8 October 2026 (Kamal Tabikha): https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/10/08/ethiopia-and-eritrea-edge-closer-to-direct-conflict-as-troops-enter-tigray/
• Garowe Online, "Ethiopia Accuses Eritrea of Sending Troops Into Tigray, Demands Immediate Withdrawal", 8 October 2026: https://www.garoweonline.com/en/world/africa/ethiopia-accuses-eritrea-of-sending-troops-into-tigray-demands-immediate-withdrawal
• Il Sole 24 Ore, "L'Etiopia accusa: Eritrea ha dispiegato truppe in Tigray", 7 October 2026 (Alberto Magnani): https://www.ilsole24ore.com/art/l-etiopia-accusa-eritrea-ha-dispiegato-truppe-tigray-AJSn2EcB
• Reuters (via 95.5 WIFC), "Eritrean troops drive through northern Ethiopian town, witnesses say", 7 October 2026 (Giulia Paravicini and Aaron Ross): https://wifc.com/2026/10/07/eritrean-troops-drive-through-northern-ethiopian-town-witnesses-say/
• Al Jazeera, "Witnesses spot Eritrean troops inside northern Ethiopia as tensions flare", 7 October 2026: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/7/witnesses-spot-eritrean-troops-inside-northern-ethiopia-as-tensions-flare
• Reuters (via StreetInsider), "Airstrikes and artillery hit north Ethiopia as government and rebels clash, sources say", 5 October 2026 (Giulia Paravicini and Aaron Ross): https://www.streetinsider.com/Reuters/Airstrikes+and+artillery+hit+north+Ethiopia+as+government+and+rebels+clash%2C+sources+say/27146756.html
• Al Jazeera, "Ethiopian PM Abiy demands Red Sea access as tensions with neighbours rise", 5 October 2026: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/5/ethiopias-pm-insists-on-access-to-red-sea-despite-regional-conflict-threat
• Al Jazeera, "Ethiopia demands Eritrea 'immediately withdraw' troops from its territory", 8 February 2026: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/8/ethiopia-demands-eritrea-immediately-withdraw-troops-from-its-territory
• Reuters (via CNBC Africa), "Ethiopia says it must defend itself against Eritrea's 'all-out invasion'", 9 October 2026 (Dawit Endeshaw): https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2026/ethiopia-calls-for-immediate-withdrawal-of-eritrean-troops-in-letter-to-un
• BBC News, "Ethiopia warns Eritrea it will defend itself after troops enter Tigray", 9 October 2026: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c65ynvw250y1o
• Euronews, "Ethiopian drones hit Eritrean forces accused of backing rebels in Tigray", 8 October 2026: https://www.euronews.com/2026/10/08/ethiopian-drones-hit-eritrean-forces-accused-of-backing-rebels-in-tigray