Ethiopian forces enter key Tigray town, raising fears among residents

Watching Eye on Africa. First, Ethiopia's northern conflict is escalating and government forces are advancing towards the Eritrean border. Federal troops and allied militia have entered the key town of Adwa after Tigrayan rebels withdrew, leaving residents fearful and shops shut. With Addis Ababa accusing Eritrea of backing the insurgents, the fighting is fueling fears of a new war between the two neighbors. There's more with our correspondents. Yet another strategic town in Tigray has been captured without a fight by Ethiopian federal forces. This time it's the town of Adwa, situated only 40 kilometres away from the border with Eritrea. TPLF fighters have been pushed further north towards that border. And last week, France 24's observers independently verified two images showing trucks carrying Eritrean troops inside Tigray, causing concern of a broader war which could break out between these two countries. Ethiopia condemned this alleged incursion by Eritrean troops inside its borders but Eritrea's Minister of Information denied that it ever happened and the Eritrean government has since called on the UN Security Council to intervene due to the risk of war between Asmara and Addis Ababa. Since the Ethiopian federal troops recaptured the capital of Tigray the former TPLF leader turned advisor for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Getachew Reda returned to Mekelle for the first time over the weekend and alongside the Tigray Peace Forces, a pro-government militia which helped the federal troops capture Mekelle, he pledged to restore order to the Tigray region. The TPLF has long accused Addis Ababa of imposing an economic blockade of resources on the Tigray region.