ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopian federal forces and their allies are closing in on a town near Eritrea's border, a pro-government commander and a resident said, raising fears of a regional war. Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of backing the rebel Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which launched a major offensive against government forces on September 23 before being pushed back and losing control of its strongholds.
A foreign security source has estimated that between 5,000 and 8,000 Eritrean forces were deployed in Ethiopian territory to support the rebels but were also forced into an apparent retreat. A member of the pro-government group said that Eritrean soldiers present in the town of Zalambessa — near the border and a major battlefield during a previous 1998-2000 war between Ethiopia and Eritrea — had withdrawn.
"Villages near the town are held by the defence forces," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity, adding: "No Ethiopian troops have crossed into Eritrea". "The Ethiopian army has arrived about five kilometres south of the town, while the Eritrean army is on its northern outskirts," a Zalambessa resident said. The "situation is causing deep concern among residents, who fear the town could become a battlefield", he added. — AFP
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