Eritrea accused of starting offensive on Ethiopia's Tigray

Tigrayan authorities say Eritrea has launched a full-scale offensive along the country's border with northern Ethiopia in what appears to be an escalation of last month's renewal of fighting.

The Eritreans are fighting alongside Ethiopian federal forces, including commando units, as well as allied militia, Tigray spokesman Getachew Reda said Tuesday.

A humanitarian worker in the northern Ethiopian town of Adigrat said that Eritrean forces were shelling the surrounding areas.

The U.S. envoy to the Horn of Africa told reporters Tuesday that Washington has been tracking Eritrean troop movements across the border and Mike Hammer condemned the movements of Eritrean soldiers in northern Ethiopia

The full-blown entry of Eritrea into the Tigray war looks set to complicate any peace efforts between Tigrayan leaders and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who mended ties with Eritrea as soon as he rose to power in 2018.