Has Ethiopia backed up its claim that “many Eritrean soldiers have been killed and captured”?

What was said

On 4 October, Ethiopian government official Abraham Belay told Fana Television that the Eritrean army had joined the fighting in Tigray “with its full capacity and logistics”, and that “many Eritrean soldiers have been killed and captured”. He added that Ethiopia’s retaliation would be “double”.

The remarks reached an international audience through African Business, which quoted them on 8 October and attributed them to him A. African Business reported the statement accurately, as a claim by an official. It is the claim itself that we have checked.

We have not been able to access the original Fana Television broadcast, so the wording above is as African Business reported it.

When it was said

The timing matters. Belay spoke on 4 October. The first reports of Eritrean soldiers inside Tigray came three days later, when witnesses told Reuters they had seen dozens of soldiers in Eritrean uniforms pass through Adigrat on 7 October B. In other words, the claim that many Eritrean soldiers had been killed and captured was made before any independent account placed Eritrean troops in Tigray at all.

What the evidence shows

We looked for anything that would let a reader check the claim: a number of dead or captured soldiers, names, units, locations, photographs or video of prisoners, or confirmation from a third party such as a humanitarian organisation or conflict monitor.

We found none of these. The statement as reported gives no figures. None of the international reports we reviewed, from Reuters B and AFP C, mention Eritrean casualties or prisoners. AFP’s report of 9 October cites a foreign security source estimating that 5,000 to 8,000 Eritrean soldiers are in Tigray, but says nothing about any being killed or captured C.

As far as we can find, the Ethiopian government has not released any supporting material, such as images of captured soldiers.

What this verdict does not cover

This fact check is about one statement: that many Eritrean soldiers have been killed and captured. It is not a finding on whether Eritrean troops are in Tigray. That is a separate question, and the reports on it are still coming in.

Our verdict

Abraham Belay’s claim is unsupported. It was presented as fact, but no evidence has been made public that would allow anyone to verify it, and no independent source has confirmed it. If evidence is published, we will review this fact check and update it.