Ethiopian forces opened fire on UN workers, government spokesperson admits

The US government now believes Eritrea has entered Tigray in alliance with federal forces

Credit: AFP

Ethiopian forces opened fire on a United Nations team in the war-torn Tigray region, a government spokesman said on Tuesday, claiming the officials had ignored government checkpoints.  

The humanitarian workers, who were only granted access to Tigray earlier this month after tortuous negotiations, had ‘indulged in a kind of adventurous expedition’, said spokesman Redwan Hussein. 

“They broke two checkpoints to drive to areas where they were not supposed to go, and that they were told not to go. When they were about to break the third one, they were shot at and detained,” he said. 

Speaking at a press conference in the capital Addis Ababa, Mr Hussein insisted the UN staffers were to blame for Sunday’s incident close to the town of Shire. 

”This country isn’t no man’s land. It has a government,“ he said.

The incident came amid reports that Eritrean forces have entered the Tigray region in support of Addis Ababa, turning the conflict into a regional affair. 

A US government source and five regional diplomats told Reuters that they believed Eritrean troops were now operating in the northern region, with evidence including satellite images, intercepted communications and anecdotal reports. 

Refugees from Tigray queue for food at a camp in eastern Sudan

Credit: AFP

“There doesn’t appear to be a doubt anymore. It’s being discussed by US officials on calls — that the Eritreans are in Tigray — but they aren’t saying it publicly,” the US government source told Reuters.

A senior diplomat from another country said “thousands” of Eritrean soldiers were believed to be engaged.  

United Nations security teams evaluating the situation in Ethiopia’s Tigray region have also observed troops wearing Eritrean uniforms moving in the area, according to people familiar with the matter.   

These accounts of major Eritrean involvement chime with dozens of refugee accounts heard by The Telegraph in Eastern Sudan two weeks ago.

Early last month Ethiopia’s prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, sent one of the most powerful armies in Africa into Tigray in an attempt to oust the regional government led by the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which ruled the whole country for almost thirty years from 1991.  Mr Abiy was swept to power in a popular revolt against the TPLF in 2018.

The reported entrance of Eritrean troops follows Mr Abiy’s signing of a peace deal with Eritrea that year, ending decades of hostilities sparked when the TPLF held power. Mr Abiy was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for the accord last year.

However, some analysts now claim that the peace deal was underpinned by plans by both governments to turn on the TPLF.

"I would describe it as a marriage of convenience. The enemy of my enemy is my friend," Yohannes Woldemariam, an academic focusing on the Horn of Africa, told the Telegraph.  

Eritrea has denied any involvement in the conflict, calling the claims “propaganda.” Addis Ababa has also denied the allegations but Mr Abiy admitted last week that some government troops retreated into Eritrea early in the conflict.