Ethiopia advances into Tigray town near Eritrea border

Ethiopian troops advanced to the Eritrean border town of Zalambessa on October 13, 2026, following the capture of Mekelle and Adwa in a counter-offensive against TPLF rebels. Addis Ababa accuses Eritrea of sending up to 8,000 troops 60 km into Tigray to assist rebels, while Asmara denies the claims and called for UN Security Council intervention, raising fears of direct war between the Horn of Africa neighbors.

Military activity around Zalambessa

• ▪A spokesperson for an Ethiopian pro-government militia declined to confirm that military forces had taken control of Zalambessa on October 13, 2026
• ▪Ethiopian government troops advanced to the border town of Zalambessa, which has a population of around 15,000, by October 13, 2026, as part of a counter-offensive against Tigrayan rebels
• ▪Witnesses and a conflict monitor reported that Eritrean troops crossed into Zalambessa in early October 2026 to support Tigrayan rebel forces

UN Security Council involvement in the conflict

• ▪Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh requested the United Nations Security Council to take action against Ethiopia under Chapter VII of the UN Charter
• ▪Ethiopia informed United Nations Security Council members that Eritrean military forces had advanced up to 60 kilometers (37 miles) inside Ethiopian territory
• ▪The United Nations Security Council scheduled a closed-door meeting on October 13, 2026, regarding the Horn of Africa crisis under the presidency of Greece

Ethiopian military operations in Adwa

• ▪Ethiopian federal forces and allied militia entered the northwestern Tigrayan town of Adwa on October 11, 2026, following the withdrawal of TPLF forces a day earlier
• ▪Ethiopian drone strikes targeted a hotel in Adwa on October 4, 2026, wounding five to nine people where TPLF Chairman Debretsion Gebremichael was reportedly present

Ethiopian takeover and reopening of Mekelle

• ▪Ethiopian government forces captured Tigray's regional capital, Mekelle, in early October 2026 after TPLF forces evacuated and temporarily relocated their administration
• ▪Commercial passenger flights from Addis Ababa to Mekelle resumed on October 11, 2026, after being suspended on September 23, 2026, due to active fighting

Diplomatic disputes and accusations between Ethiopia and Eritrea

• ▪Ethiopia accused Eritrea, Sudan, and Egypt of supporting the TPLF-led rebel alliance, prompting Sudan and Egypt to deny involvement and Eritrea to sever diplomatic ties with Ethiopia
• ▪Eritrea denied any military incursion into Ethiopia and asserted that Addis Ababa's invasion accusations constituted a declaration of war

Rebel alliance offensive

• ▪Fighting re-ignited in late September 2026 when a seven-group rebel alliance led by the TPLF launched an offensive in Ethiopia's Tigray and Afar regions
• ▪Tigrayan rebel forces made gains in Ethiopia's Afar region during their September 2026 offensive before being pushed back toward the Eritrean border

Red sea access dispute

• ▪Ethiopia maintains that restoring its sea access is an existential issue, but affirmed that access would be restored through peace and dialogue
• ▪Relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea remain strained over Red Sea access, which Ethiopia lost when Eritrea gained independence in 1993

Debatable claims

• ▪Eritrea's military deployment in Tigray is a justified pre-emptive security measure
• ▪Federal military occupation of Tigray border towns is effective for establishing regional security
• ▪Ethiopia's public invasion claims against Eritrea serve as a pretext for war
• ▪Ethiopia bears primary responsibility for the renewed military crisis with Eritrea