Diplomatic Sources Report Escalating Clashes Near Badme on Ethiopia-Eritrea Border as Residents Flee Bombardment

November 13, 2026

Addis Standard

 Addis Ababa – Diplomatic sources familiar with intelligence assessments of the security situation along the Ethiopia-Eritrea border have reported escalating clashes around Badme, with Ethiopian drone strikes and Eritrean heavy artillery fire raising fears of a wider military confrontation, while residents say nighttime bombardments are forcing civilians to flee.

Two diplomatic sources who spoke to Addis Standard said intelligence reports received over the past three days indicated clashes around the Badme front, with the latest engagements reportedly more intense than the low-intensity confrontations previously monitored.

“We have been receiving intelligence reports over the last three days that low-intensity clashes were taking place mainly on the Badme front,” one source said. “We are aware of drone strikes, particularly from the Ethiopian side, and the use of heavy artillery from the Eritrean side, and we are monitoring the situation.”

A second diplomatic source said a briefing received on Thursday indicated that the clashes had become heavier than the relatively small-scale engagements reported over the preceding three days.

“The biggest shared concern among the international community is that this will be sliding into a full-blown military conflict, the outcome of which neither party has yet to fully comprehend,” the source told Addis Standard.

A resident of Badme who spoke to Addis Standard described worsening conditions in the town, reporting nighttime explosions, heavy bombardments and growing civilian displacement.

“The nights are terrible with loud explosions and heavy bombardments. Many people are already leaving the area to find safety,” the resident said, adding that shops and markets had closed and residents were increasingly fearful of aerial attacks.

The resident also described a noticeable shift in the military presence in the town, saying Tigrayan forces had been visible in the area until a few days earlier, while federal government troops had become increasingly visible since Thursday.

“A few days ago TPLF fighters were everywhere in the town, but since yesterday Thursday the federal government army are the ones we see everywhere,” the resident said.

The resident added that the renewed fighting had revived painful memories of the previous Ethiopia-Eritrea war, leaving residents fearful of further destruction.

The reported escalation comes against the backdrop of renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia since late September, when federal forces and an alliance of armed groups, including the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and its military wing, the Tigray Defense Forces (TDF), resumed hostilities.

The developments have increasingly raised concerns about a direct confrontation between Ethiopian and Eritrean forces, whose relations have deteriorated sharply following their military alliance during the 2020–2022 Tigray war.

In early October, diplomatic relations between the two countries were severed following escalating accusations over cross-border military activities and alleged support for armed groups. Ethiopia has accused Eritrea of backing forces fighting the federal government, allegations Asmara has rejected. Eritrea, in turn, has accused Ethiopia of pursuing territorial ambitions linked to access to the Red Sea.

The latest tensions have centered on the Tigray border area, particularly around Badme, a town at the heart of the 1998–2000 Ethiopia-Eritrea border war, which claimed tens of thousands of lives. 

Although the 2018 rapprochement formally ended two decades of hostility, relations have deteriorated over unresolved security and territorial disputes, Eritrea’s role in the Tigray war and Ethiopia’s renewed push for Red Sea access.

According to several conflict tracking reports, Ethiopian federal forces captured Sheraro on November 3 following weeks of military advances in the area and subsequently established positions in nearby Adi Awala, along the route toward Badme. Military buildups on both sides of the border were reported in the days preceding the latest clashes.

The Critical Threats Project (CTP), in its November 10 assessment, reported that conflict trackers had documented clashes around Badme on November 9, alongside Ethiopian and Eritrean military mobilizations. However, it said it could not independently establish whether the fighting occurred on the Ethiopian or Eritrean side of the border. Reports of Ethiopian drone strikes inside Eritrean territory also remained unverified.

Meanwhile, Frontlines reported on November 12 that an independent assessment found no extensive Eritrean Defence Forces fortifications or presence around Badme, underscoring uncertainty over the precise military positions and developments in the area.

The latest reports come amid growing international concern over the possibility of another regional conflict. Following their November 9–10 meeting in Paris, G7 foreign ministers expressed “great concern” over the deteriorating security situation between Ethiopia and Eritrea, warning of the risk of regional escalation.

The ministers called on all parties to “exercise maximum restraint, pursue diplomatic solutions,” ensure safe and unhindered humanitarian access and protect civilians. They also reaffirmed support for efforts by the United Nations and African Union to facilitate dialogue.

Earlier, the African Union, United Nations, United States, United Kingdom, Canada and other international partners had urged restraint and renewed diplomatic engagement. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and a return to dialogue, including under the November 2022 Pretoria Agreement, which ended the two-year war in Tigray.