Ethiopian forces push toward the Eritrean border as Addis Ababa installs an interim government in Tigray
A pro-government militia says Eritrean troops have pulled back toward the border with heavy losses, a claim Asmara calls false. Ethiopia has named a caretaker administration for Tigray and promised elections within six months. The TPLF rejects it.
By Eyob Hadgu · 25 October 2026
Ethiopian forces have pushed through Tigray toward the Eritrean border, while Addis Ababa has installed an interim government that the TPLF rejects. (Illustration)
Ethiopian government forces have pushed deep into northern Tigray and moved heavy weapons toward the Eritrean border, while Addis Ababa has installed an interim administration to run the region, according to Al Jazeera, AFP and the conflict monitor ACLED.
The advance follows Ethiopia's accusation, reported by Asmara Post on 10 October, that Eritrea had carried out an "all-out invasion" of Tigray. Eritrea denies sending troops to back the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and says it is the target of aggression.
Claims of an Eritrean pullback
Ethiopian forces and allied fighters said on 15 October that they had entered the historic city of Aksum, Al Jazeera reported. ACLED documented government forces and fighters from the pro-government Tigray Peace Force (TPF) entering the city, and said government forces had retaken Adwa and Adigrat from the TPLF without a fight. There were also reports of Ethiopian advances near Rama, close to the Eritrean border.
The TPF claimed that Eritrean troops had retreated toward the border and suffered significant casualties. Its spokesperson, Solomon Hailemariam, made the claim, which could not be independently verified. ACLED reported Eritrean troops withdrawing across the border through Zalambessa.
Eritrea's information minister, Yemane Gebremeskel, rejected the claims as false in comments to local media.
ACLED also documented Ethiopian tanks and heavy weapons moving toward the Eritrean border on 13 October. AFP reported no fighting in Zalambessa itself, but said the border town had been without power or water for a week. "Ethiopian troops are on one side, and Eritrean troops are on the other," a resident told the agency.
An interim government for Tigray
On 16 October, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced an interim administration for Tigray and promised free elections within six months, Al Jazeera reported. Five officials were appointed to run the region, including the mayor of Mekelle, which federal forces captured earlier in October.
The TPLF leadership rejected the move. A TPLF vice president told AFP that the region "cannot be ruled by puppets" of Addis Ababa. Al Jazeera reported on 23 October that Tigrayan rebels had been urged to disarm, while one commander vowed to keep fighting the federal government.
Pressure for de-escalation
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for de-escalation in a phone call with Abiy on 14 October, after reports of confrontation between Ethiopian and Eritrean forces, according to the State Department. He said the region could not tolerate more conflict.
Addis Ababa has also accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of backing an alliance of seven rebel groups. All three governments deny it. Eritrea cut diplomatic ties with Ethiopia earlier this month and has asked the UN Security Council to step in.
Why it matters for Eritreans
Eritrean troops fought alongside Ethiopia's federal army in the 2020–2022 Tigray war. The two former allies now accuse each other of aggression, and Ethiopian armour is reported to be massing near the shared border. Communities on both sides of the frontier, including in Zalambessa, are already living without basic services.
Neither government's battlefield claims have been independently verified.
This report draws on reporting from Al Jazeera, AFP, ACLED and the US State Department, and on earlier Asmara Post coverage.
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