The leader of the Tigray region of Ethiopia on Sunday claimed responsibility for rocket strikes on the airport in neighboring Eritrea’s capital, a move that ratcheted up fears of a wider conflict in the Horn of Africa region.
Diplomats told AFP Saturday night that multiple rockets had struck the capital, Asmara, landing near the airport, though communications restrictions in Tigray and Eritrea made the reports difficult to verify.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced Nov. 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 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 “in several fronts”.
The TPLF has previously accused Abiy’s government of enlisting military support from Eritrea, something Ethiopia denies. AFP
There was no immediate response from the Eritrean or Ethiopian governments on Sunday.
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.
The United States embassy in Asmara posted an advisory to its website Sunday about “a series of loud noises” at around 7:50 pm Saturday night.
“Unconfirmed reports indicate they may have been explosive devices believed to be in the vicinity of the Asmara International Airport. There are no indications the airport was struck,” the advisory said.