Ethiopian troops reach Zalambessa on Eritrean border — TimesLIVE

Ethiopian government troops have reached the town of Zalambessa on the border with Eritrea, previously controlled by Tigrayan rebels, according to six sources. As TimesLIVE reports, this comes amid diplomatic efforts aimed at preventing a wider conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Advance on the border town

Zalambessa is located on the Ethiopian side of the border with Eritrea and has around 15,000 residents. Information that the army had reached the town was provided by four people who are in contact with local residents, as well as a diplomat and a conflict expert who communicates with the opposing sides.

A spokesperson for a pro-government militia did not confirm that the military had established control over Zalambessa. Representatives of the Ethiopian army and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed did not respond to requests for comment.

According to eyewitnesses and a source monitoring the conflict, Eritrean troops crossed the border last week and entered Zalambessa in support of the rebels. As of Tuesday, it remained unclear whether Eritrean military personnel or rebel forces were present in the town.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Accusations and Security Council meeting

Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of supporting the rebels and told members of the UN Security Council that Eritrean troops had advanced as far as 60 kilometers into Ethiopian territory. Asmara denies any incursion into Ethiopia and says Addis Ababa's accusations amount to a declaration of war.

Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh, in a letter to the UN Security Council seen by Reuters, called for action against Ethiopia, citing Chapter VII of the UN Charter. It provides for measures ranging from sanctions to the use of military force. On Tuesday, Security Council members were due to hold a closed meeting on the situation in the Horn of Africa.

Fighting in Ethiopia resumed last month when a rebel alliance led by the Tigray People's Liberation Front launched an offensive. This revived the war that lasted from 2020 to 2022 and claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. A government forces counteroffensive forced the rebels to retreat north from a number of towns.

Tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea are also heightened by the issue of access to the sea. Ethiopia had access to the coast before Eritrea gained independence in 1993 and says it seeks to restore such access peacefully and through dialogue.