Hundreds of ENDF Soldiers Flee into Eritrea After Clash with TDF

Eritrean political commentator and writer Awel Said released striking footage from the northern border showing hundreds of Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) soldiers fleeing into Eritrea during the 2022 conflict with the Tigray Defense Forces (TDF). Awel, who can be seen in the video himself, said the troops had appealed for Eritrean assistance after being surrounded by Tigray Defense Forces (TDF). A temporary wooden bridge was hastily built to bring them safely across the border.

The scenes recall one of the most chaotic moments in Ethiopia’s modern military history — when entire divisions fractured under simultaneous pressure from multiple fronts.

Today, those same structural weaknesses are again visible. Days ago the Fano units had seized Gashena, a strategic town in North Wollo whose capture sent tremors through Ethiopia’s military establishment. Gashena lies at the crossroads linking Woldiya, Debretabor, and Lalibela — key supply routes for federal troops. Its fall highlighted not only a tactical loss but also a deeper unraveling of the federal army’s control in the highlands.

Across Ethiopia’s highlands, reports describe soldiers stretched thin, commanders distrusted, and entire units isolated from central command. For observers, the re-emergence of Awel’s footage serves as a reminder of how quickly battlefield reversals can reshape Ethiopia’s security landscape.

Officials in Addis Ababa continue to downplay the scale of the losses, but growing video evidence tells another story: abandoned positions, fractured command structures, and an army stretched thin by wars of its own government’s making.

For Eritrea, the episode underscores the volatility unfolding just across its frontier — and the persistent danger that Ethiopia’s internal wars could once again spill outward. As Mesob Journal analyst Mr. Negash noted, “When an army begins asking neighbors for rescue, it’s not a skirmish anymore; it’s collapse in motion.”