\n Burnt-out trucks lie discarded in the middle of roads in the centre of the northern Ethiopian city of Adigrat -- the result of drone strikes by federal forces against Eritrean troops, who were present just over a week before.\n<\/p>\n
\n The city lies just 40 kilometres (24 miles) south of the border with Eritrea, which has long had a fraught relationship with Ethiopia.\n<\/p>\n
\n The two neighbours severed diplomatic ties earlier this month, and accuse each other of attempting to destabilise the region, raising fears of a fresh conflict decades after a 1998-2000 border war claimed tens of thousands of lives.\n<\/p>\n
\n Eritrea has deployed thousands of troops in northern Tigray, according to a foreign security source, backing rebels who launched a September offensive against the government.\n<\/p>\n
\n Some Eritrean forces have returned to their country, while others remain near the border on the Ethiopian side, following drone strikes that pushed them back.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"We were terrified,\" Hagos, who asked only to use one name, told AFP after an October 7 strike near the home he shares with his wife and four children in a small village some 15 kilometres (nine miles) north of Adigrat.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"Explosions continued for more than three and a half hours,\" the 48-year-old said, after missiles struck a truck carrying what he said were mortars and Eritrean soldiers.\n<\/p>\n
\n - 'Seeing the Devil' -\n<\/p>\n
\n Haymanot, 33, heard multiple explosions in her village near Adigrat on October 10 when drones struck Eritrean forces and Tigray People's Liberation Force (TPLF) rebels.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"When I saw Eritrean soldiers entering our area two weeks ago, I was shocked and angry,\" she said.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"I did not want them here. They have now left, and I hope they never return.\"\n<\/p>\n
\n Many harbour bitter memories of when Eritrean soldiers were last in Tigray, fighting alongside federal troops in the 2020-22 civil war.\n<\/p>\n
\n The devastating conflict cost some 600,000 lives, and saw Eritrean troops accused of war crimes, including rape.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"Seeing the Eritrean army here is like seeing the devil,\" said Elias Desta, 36, who said the soldiers arrived by foot and in trucks.\n<\/p>\n
\n Despite their departure, he said, peace was still elusive.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"The police and security systems have collapsed. Some prisoners have been released, and there are many robberies and stabbings in the city,\" he told AFP.\n<\/p>\n
\n In the streets and alleyways of Adigrat, residents said, federal forces were patrolling with heavy weaponry.\n<\/p>\n
\n Schools have been closed for several days, and while shops and restaurants are open, many are running low on supplies.\n<\/p>\n
\n The situation also remains tense in the far north of Tigray, particularly in Zalambessa -- a border town on the Ethiopian side -- where Eritrean soldiers are present.\n<\/p>\n
\n On Friday, the government announced the establishment of a six-month interim administration in Tigray, intended to pave the way for elections in six months.\n<\/p>\n
\n Elias said he hoped the move would restore order and facilitate aid into the region.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"People are facing severe hunger and need assistance,\" he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Burnt-out trucks lie discarded in the middle of roads in the centre of the northern Ethiopian city of Adigrat -- the result of drone strikes by federal forces against Eritrean troops, who were present just over a week before. The city lies just 40 kilometres (24 miles) south of the border with Eritrea, which has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[553],"tags":[],"ji_location":[],"class_list":["post-167476","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-live-feed"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n