Ethiopian Troops Enter Town on Border with Eritrea, Stoking War Fears

Ethiopian government troops have advanced to a town on the border with Eritrea previously controlled by Tigrayan rebels, people in touch with residents said on Tuesday, as diplomats scrambled to avert war ‌between the Horn of Africa neighbours. Witnesses and a conflict monitor said Eritrean troops had crossed last week ‌into Zalambessa, near Ethiopia’s northernmost point, in support of the rebels, but it was unclear if the Eritrean troops or rebels were still present ​on Tuesday. … With Addis ⁠Ababa and Asmara now on opposing sides again, conflicts raging elsewhere in the region and tensions high across the Red Sea, there are fears of broader contagion of violence this time ⁠around. The Ethiopian government’s counter-offensive has driven rebels from a string of towns, forcing them to retreat north. By Tuesday, the army had reached Zalambessa, a town with a population of around 15,000 on the Ethiopian side of the border with Eritrea, according to ​six sources. ​Reuters