According to information reported by Africa Intelligence and the BBC, intense armed clashes have occurred along Eritrea’s northern border with Tigray over the past week.
The clashes reportedly took place mainly in the Rama area and in the vicinity of the border town of Badme, which is the subject of a long-standing dispute between Eritrea and Ethiopia, despite the fact that an international court has recognized its sovereignty by Asmara.
The dynamics of the new border crisis are unclear, and at present it has not been possible to understand the reasons for the resumption of fighting, as well as the party that originated it.
Intense artillery exchanges have been reported on both front lines, while no real ground advance would appear to have followed on either the Eritrean or Tigrayan side.
Tensions in the Tigray region have risen steadily over the past few weeks, following repeated accusations by the Tigray government that the federal government and its regional allies are limiting the transit of military aid to the bare minimum, and for the sole benefit of international observers.
The Tigray government also laments the continued occupation of western Tigray by Amhara militias, denouncing the real risk of a resumption of military operations by all federal government forces. Accusations rejected by the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, which, on the contrary, claims that it is Tigray that is planning an offensive in the region and in the Wolkait area, where federal forces are preparing to respond to any hypothetical threat.
