Ethiopia’s warring region strikes Eritrea

The leader of Ethiopia’s restive northern Tigray region on Sunday confirmed his region’s forces fired missiles at Eritrea’s capital city of Asmara. The United States Embassy in Eritrea in a security alert confirmed “a series of loud noises” near the Asmara airport on Saturday evening and urged citizens to stay indoors.

What prompted the attack? The region’s President Debretsion Gebremichael said about 16 Eritrean military divisions are backing the federal government in an ongoing offensive against Tigray’s forces. The military operation that began less than two weeks ago has killed hundreds and sent about 25,000 people fleeing into neighboring Sudan. Tigray forces also fired rockets at two airports in Ethiopia’s Amhara region on Friday. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has not heeded international calls to de-escalate the fighting despite concerns the conflict is growing into a regional problem.

Dig deeper: Read my World Tour report on what sparked the latest conflict.