ASMARA, Eritrea is mobilising military reservists to bolster the army, which has been aiding neighbouring Ethiopia in its fight against rebel forces.
Many in the capital, Asmara, were given notice on Thursday and moved to the border with Ethiopia’s Tigray region, within hours, sources said.
Reservists up to the age of 55 have been called up, they said.
Eritrea has compulsory, decades-long military service but the latest mobilisation efforts are linked to the civil war in northern Ethiopia – a conflict that recently flared up again after five months of relative peace.
Mobilisation notices were distributed on Thursday in the capital, the second-largest city, Keren, the western town of Tessenai and other areas calling on reservists to report to their respective head offices, while also advising that they should carry their own supplies, including blankets and water containers.
Eritrea has been fighting alongside Ethiopia’s central government troops since the civil war broke out in Tigray in late 2020.
Several human rights organisations have accused Eritrean soldiers of committing atrocities in Ethiopia, but these claims have been denied by Eritrean officials.
The US has imposed sanctions on the Eritrean Defence Forces and the ruling PFDJ party in response to their involvement in the conflict.
The Ethiopian government accuses TPLF leaders, who control the northern Tigray region, of plotting to destabilise the country, while Eritrea President Isaias Afwerki sees them as a sworn enemy.
Eritrea is isolated diplomatically and is a highly militarised state.
Source: Nam News Network