ACLED records Ethiopian forces entering Axum in Tigray — Anadolu Agency

Ethiopian government troops and allied fighters from the Tigray Peace Forces (TPF) expanded control in the north of the Tigray region and entered the historic Ethiopian city of Axum. This was recorded by the independent monitoring organization Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), Anadolu Agency reports.

According to ACLED, fighters from rival Tigrayan forces remained in the surrounding mountainous areas. The organization also reported the withdrawal of Eritrean military personnel through the Zalambessa border crossing after Ethiopian forces and their allies advanced toward several strategic settlements.

Claims of Eritrean losses

TPF spokesperson Solomon Hailemariam said on October 15 that Eritrean troops had suffered significant losses in the fighting. Eritrea's Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel rejected these claims, calling them false. The scale of the reported losses could not be independently verified.

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Tensions at the border

ACLED also recorded the movement of Ethiopian tanks and heavy weapons toward the Eritrean border on Tuesday. This raised concerns about a possible clash between the two countries. Eritrea denied accusations that it had deployed its forces to Tigray in support of armed opposition groups and accused Ethiopia of threatening its sovereignty.

On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the tensions with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and called for de-escalation. According to a statement by the US State Department, Rubio stressed that the region cannot afford another conflict. A resumption of fighting threatens the 2022 Pretoria peace agreement, which ended the two-year war in Tigray.