Fears Ethiopia Conflict to Spill into Eritrea Mount

By Staff, Agencies

The leader of the Tigray region of Ethiopia on Sunday claimed responsibility for rocket strikes targeting the airport in neighboring Eritrea's capital, a move that ratcheted up fears of a wider conflict in the Horn of Africa region.

Diplomats said Saturday night that multiple rockets had struck Asmara, landing near the airport, though communications restrictions in Tigray and Eritrea made the reports difficult to verify.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced November 4 he had ordered military operations in Tigray in a dramatic escalation of a long-running feud with the region's ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front [TPLF].

"Ethiopian forces are also using the airport of Asmara," TPLF leader Debretsion Gebremichael told AFP on Sunday, saying this made the airport a "legitimate target" for the strikes.

He added that his forces had also been fighting "16 divisions" of Eritrean forces in recent days "on several fronts."

The TPLF has previously accused Abiy's government of enlisting military support from Eritrea, something Ethiopia denies.

It was not clear how many rockets were fired on Saturday night, where in Tigray they were fired from, whether they hit their targets or what damage they inflicted.