Ethiopian federal forces and an allied militia entered the northwestern Tigray town of Adwa on Sunday after fighters of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) withdrew, residents told Agence France-Presse.
One resident, who asked not to be named, confirmed the TPLF departure but said that while government forces were in the town, they had not reached the centre. "The roads are deserted. People are very afraid of theft," he said.
Adwa is among the region's most populated towns and lies roughly 40 kilometres from Eritrea's border. Residents speaking to AFP on Monday said the rebels left on Saturday and that government forces then entered without a fight.
"All the shops in the town are closed. Last night, many government institutions, including Adwa Hospital, were looted," Aferwerki, a resident who gave only one name, told AFP. The Abay Times could not independently verify the account.
TPLF vice-president Amanuel Assefa told AFP he "did not wish to comment".
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The conflict monitor ACLED said Ethiopian drone strikes hit a hotel in Adwa on 4 October, wounding between five and nine people, including security personnel. Some ACLED sources indicated that TPLF chairman Debretsion Gebremichael and other senior officials were at the hotel, but ACLED stressed that information had not been verified.
Mekelle, the regional capital, fell to government forces earlier this month after the TPLF evacuated, AFP reported. Ethiopian Airlines resumed flights to Mekelle on Sunday, AFP and AP reported, and telecommunications services have also been restored, according to AFP.
Ethiopia and Eritrea have traded accusations of aggression in letters to the UN Security Council. Ethiopia alleges Eritrea backs the rebels; Eritrea denies that and on Saturday asked the Council to take "deterrent measures" after what it called Ethiopia's "declaration of war", Africanews and AFP reported. A foreign security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP last week that between 5,000 and 8,000 Eritrean soldiers were present in Tigray; The Abay Times could not independently verify the figure.
