Reuters could not immediately verify the Twitter account from Getachew Reda, a spokesman for the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). The TPLF has been fighting the Ethiopian Federal Forces and their allies for almost two years. Eritrean troops entered Tigray to support the Ethiopian army after fighting broke out in November 2020 before withdrawing from most of the region last year. “Eritrea is deploying its entire army as well as reservists. Our forces are heroically defending their positions,” Getachew said. Eritrea’s information minister, Yemane Gebremeskel, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. If confirmed, the attack would mark an escalation in a war that has displaced millions and caused a humanitarian disaster in northern Ethiopia. Getachew said Ethiopian troops and special forces from the Amhara region had also taken part in the attack. An Ethiopian government spokesman, Legesse Tulu, a military spokesman, Col Getnet Adane, and the prime minister’s spokesman, Billene Seyoum, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Gizachew Muluneh, a spokesman for the Amhara regional government, also did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On Saturday, the Canadian government warned that Eritrea was mobilizing armed forces due to renewed fighting in Tigray. Yemane confirmed over the weekend that some reservists had been called in, but said the government was not mobilizing the entire population. The conflict in Tigray erupted again on August 24, violating the ceasefire that had been in place since March. Earlier this month, Tigrayan forces said they were ready for a ceasefire and would accept an African Union-led peace process.
