Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Diplomats back claims Eritrean troops have joined Ethiopia conflict
Source: The Guardian
Diplomats back claims Eritrean troops have joined Ethiopia conflict
US official among sources saying soldiers from Eritrea are fighting in operations against Tigray People’s Liberation Front
Peter Beaumont
Tue 8 Dec 2020 17.00 GMT
A US official and other diplomatic sources have backed accusations that Eritrean soldiers are fighting alongside Ethiopian troops to help Abiy Ahmed’s government in the war on the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), complicating an already dangerous conflict.
The claims made to Reuters, which interviewed several unidentified diplomats in the region and a US official, follow mounting allegations by Tigrayan leaders that Eritrea, long a rival of Ethiopia, had joined with Ethiopian forces against a common enemy despite denials from both nations.
According to some accounts, thousands of Eritrean troops have joined the conflict during the last month of fighting, while Tigrayan forces have admitted rocketing the Eritrean capital, Asmara.
While refugees crossing into Sudan have also made similar claims, confirmation has been complicated by the lack of access for outsiders, including media, and the cutting of communications to the region.
Earlier this month the regional president of Tigray, Debretsion Gebremichael, accused Eritrean forces of mass looting.
-snip-
US official among sources saying soldiers from Eritrea are fighting in operations against Tigray People’s Liberation Front
Peter Beaumont
Tue 8 Dec 2020 17.00 GMT
A US official and other diplomatic sources have backed accusations that Eritrean soldiers are fighting alongside Ethiopian troops to help Abiy Ahmed’s government in the war on the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), complicating an already dangerous conflict.
The claims made to Reuters, which interviewed several unidentified diplomats in the region and a US official, follow mounting allegations by Tigrayan leaders that Eritrea, long a rival of Ethiopia, had joined with Ethiopian forces against a common enemy despite denials from both nations.
According to some accounts, thousands of Eritrean troops have joined the conflict during the last month of fighting, while Tigrayan forces have admitted rocketing the Eritrean capital, Asmara.
While refugees crossing into Sudan have also made similar claims, confirmation has been complicated by the lack of access for outsiders, including media, and the cutting of communications to the region.
Earlier this month the regional president of Tigray, Debretsion Gebremichael, accused Eritrean forces of mass looting.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/08/diplomats-back-claims-eritrean-troops-have-joined-ethiopia-conflict
