Ethiopian forces expand control in Tigray as militia claims Eritrean losses

Eritrea denies troop movement inside northern Ethiopia as US calls for de-escalation.

Houses damaged by a drone strike during fighting between the Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) forces in Rama town, near the Eritrean border, Ethiopia, October 15, 2026 [Reuters]

Ethiopian forces and allied fighters say they have expanded control across Tigray and entered the historic city of Aksum, as fighting in the northern region continues.

The pro-government militia, the Tigray Peace Force (TPF), also claimed on Thursday that troops from neighbouring Eritrea have retreated towards the border.

Solomon Hailemariam, spokesperson for the TPF, said Eritrean forces had sustained significant casualties during the fighting.

But Eritrea’s Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel rejected the claims as false in comments to local media. The extent of the reported losses could not be independently verified.

The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), an independent conflict-monitoring organisation, documented Ethiopian government forces and TPF fighters entering Aksum, while rival Tigrayan fighters remained in surrounding mountainous areas.

ACLED also reported Eritrean troops withdrawing across the border through Zalambessa, following advances by Ethiopian forces and their allies into several strategic towns.

“Ethiopian troops are on one side, and Eritrean troops are on the other,” Selam, a resident of Zalambessa whose first name was changed for security reasons, told the AFP news agency on Thursday.

AFP reported that there is no fighting now, but the town has been without power or water for a week.

“We are caught in the middle and living in deep anxiety,” Salem told the news agency.

ACLED also documented Ethiopian tanks and heavy weapons moving towards the Eritrean border on Tuesday, raising concerns about a possible confrontation between the neighbouring countries.

Addis Ababa has accused Eritrea, as well as Sudan and Egypt, of backing a rebel alliance of seven groups that is fighting the government of Abiy Ahmed.

Eritrea has denied accusations that its forces entered Tigray to support the armed opposition groups, accusing Ethiopia of threatening its sovereignty.

Eritrea, which fought alongside Ethiopia’s federal army in the 2020-2022 war, severed diplomatic ties with Ethiopia over the accusations earlier this month.

Khartoum and Cairo have also denied involvement in the conflict.

The TPF supports Ethiopia’s federal government in its campaign against the Tigrayan rebels linked to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).

Ethiopian forces captured Tigray’s regional capital Mekelle earlier this month, and the TPLF confirmed that it had withdrawn from the city and moved its regional administration “temporarily” to another location. Government forces also retook the towns of Adwa and Adigrat from the TPLF without a fight. Further, there are reports of Ethiopian advances in the town of Rama, close to the border with Eritrea.

On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for de-escalation in a phone call with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy, following reports of the alleged confrontation between Ethiopian and Eritrean forces.

Rubio said the region could not tolerate more conflict, according to a statement from the US Department of State.

厄立特里亚否认向埃塞俄比亚北部调动军队，美国呼吁缓和局势。

2026年10月15日，埃塞俄比亚拉马镇靠近厄立特里亚边境，埃塞俄比亚国防军（ENDF）与提格雷人民解放阵线（TPLF）部队交战期间，无人机袭击造成房屋受损。[路透社]

埃塞俄比亚军队及其盟军表示，他们已经扩大了对提格雷地区的控制范围，并进入了历史名城阿克苏姆，而北部地区的战斗仍在继续。

亲政府民兵组织提格雷和平部队（TPF）周四也声称，邻国厄立特里亚的军队已经撤退到边境地区。

塔利班武装部队发言人所罗门·海尔马里亚姆表示，厄立特里亚军队在战斗中遭受了重大伤亡。

但厄立特里亚新闻部长耶曼·格布雷梅斯克尔在接受当地媒体采访时驳斥了这些说法，称其不实。所报道的损失规模尚无法得到独立核实。

武装冲突地点与事件数据项目（ACLED）是一个独立的冲突监测组织，该组织记录了埃塞俄比亚政府军和提格雷人民解放阵线（TPF）战士进入阿克苏姆，而与之对抗的提格雷武装分子则留在周围的山区。

ACLED 还报道称，在埃塞俄比亚军队及其盟友推进到几个战略城镇后，厄立特里亚军队经由扎兰贝萨边境撤退。

“埃塞俄比亚军队在一边，厄立特里亚军队在另一边，”来自扎兰贝萨的居民塞拉姆（出于安全原因，他的名字被更改）周四告诉法新社。

法新社报道称，目前没有战斗，但该镇已经停电停水一周了。

“我们被夹在中间，生活在深深的焦虑之中，”萨勒姆告诉新闻机构。

ACLED 还记录了埃塞俄比亚的坦克和重型武器于周二向厄立特里亚边境移动，引发了人们对邻国之间可能发生冲突的担忧。

亚的斯亚贝巴指责厄立特里亚以及苏丹和埃及支持由七个团体组成的叛乱联盟，该联盟正在与阿比·艾哈迈德政府作战。

厄立特里亚否认其军队进入提格雷州支持武装反对派团体的指控，并指责埃塞俄比亚威胁其主权。

厄立特里亚曾在 2020-2022 年的战争中与埃塞俄比亚联邦军队并肩作战，但本月早些时候，厄立特里亚因这些指控而与埃塞俄比亚断绝了外交关系。

喀土穆和开罗方面也否认参与冲突。

提格雷人民阵线支持埃塞俄比亚联邦政府打击与提格雷人民解放阵线（提人阵）有关联的提格雷叛军的行动。

本月初，埃塞俄比亚军队攻占了提格雷州首府默克莱，提格雷人民解放阵线（提人阵）证实已撤出该市，并将州政府“暂时”迁至他处。政府军还兵不血刃地从提人阵手中夺回了阿杜瓦和阿迪格拉特两座城镇。此外，还有报道称，埃塞俄比亚军队在靠近厄立特里亚边境的拉马镇取得了进展。

周三，美国国务卿马可·卢比奥在与埃塞俄比亚总理阿比的电话中呼吁缓和局势，此前有报道称埃塞俄比亚和厄立特里亚军队之间发生了冲突。

据美国国务院发表的声明，鲁比奥表示，该地区无法容忍更多的冲突。