Ethiopia’s military has accused Eritrea and Sudan of backing armed groups fighting federal troops in the north, as heavy clashes with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, or TPLF, resumed and the rebel group reported gains in neighbouring states.
Field Marshal Birhanu Jula, the army chief, made the accusation on Sunday in remarks carried on the army’s YouTube channel. He alleged that the TPLF’s campaign was linked to outside support, though the information available does not establish the nature or extent of any such assistance. Eritrea and Sudan’s positions on the accusation are unknown.
“We are fighting forces that are organised and allied to serve the interests of external forces,” Birhanu said.
He added: “Neither Shaebia (Eritrea) nor the TPLF can achieve anything alone, even if they are allied, unless they are backed, supported and supplied by Sudan, Egypt and other external powers”
The accusations came as fighting between federal forces and the TPLF intensified after heavy clashes resumed on Wednesday. The TPLF said it was engaged in a “defensive war” against the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
The rebel group has launched attacks into the neighbouring states of Afar and Amhara. It has also said it seized airports, although the available information does not set out which airports were taken or the position of federal forces there.
A humanitarian source said the Afar town of Erebti fell to the rebels on Sunday after heavy artillery fire. The TPLF was advancing towards Afdeera, some 100 kilometres (60 miles) to the east, according to the information available.
The renewed campaign has added to displacement in Afar. At least 150,000 people have been displaced in the state, a humanitarian source said. The wider humanitarian situation beyond that figure is unknown.
The fighting marks a return to open conflict after a period of relative calm following the 2020-2022 civil war between the TPLF and the federal government. That war killed around 600,000 people.
Birhanu’s remarks place external support at the centre of the federal military’s account of the latest rebel offensive. The evidence cited by the army chief was not set out in the available information, and the alleged mechanisms of support from Eritrea, Sudan, Egypt or other external powers remain unclear.
For now, the military balance and the durability of the TPLF’s reported gains are also uncertain. What is clear is that the conflict has spread across Afar and Amhara, while the fall of Erebti and the advance towards Afdeera have brought further pressure on civilians in Afar.
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