Adigrat residents say Eritrean soldiers in two trucks drove through the town; Yemane Gebremeskel denies any Eritrean presence
Reuters and AFP report witness accounts of Eritrean soldiers at Adigrat, about 25km south of the Eritrean border. Eritrea information minister Yemane Gebremeskel denies that Eritrean forces are there.

Reuters said two residents of Adigrat told it they saw two trucks carrying dozens of Eritrean soldiers drive through the town on Wednesday morning, identifying them by their off-white camouflage uniforms. Eritrea information minister Yemane Gebremeskel denied any Eritrean presence and said the accounts were part of an Ethiopian attempt to present a war of aggression as self-defence. Reuters said it could not independently verify the accounts.
Reuters said two residents of Adigrat, a town in northern Tigray about 25km (15 miles) south of the Eritrean border, told the agency they saw two trucks carrying dozens of Eritrean soldiers drive through the town on Wednesday morning. The residents said they identified the soldiers as Eritrean by their off-white camouflage uniforms. A third resident, who was not in the town, said relatives had also seen Eritrean troops.
AFP reported separately that a local official and residents said Eritrean troops had been deployed around Adigrat in recent days, and that some were moving south towards Mekelle.
Eritrea information minister Yemane Gebremeskel denied that Eritrean forces were present. He said the accounts were part of an Ethiopian attempt to present a war of aggression as self-defence.
Reuters said it could not independently verify the residents accounts, and that the witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity because of security concerns. Spokespeople for the Ethiopian government and for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed did not immediately respond to requests for comment, Reuters said. Adigrat has not seen fighting in the current conflict.
