Ethiopian federal forces and the allied Tigray Peace Force (TPF) entered the city of Aksum, the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project (ACLED) reported on 15 October, while Eritrean troops withdrew across the border through Zalambessa. TPF spokesperson Solomon Hailemariam said Eritrean units had suffered heavy losses, a claim Eritrea’s Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel rejected as false. The advance follows the capture of Mekelle, Adwa and Adigrat earlier this month; on 14 October US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to de-escalate. With Ethiopian armour near the border, the risk of a direct clash between the two armies is rising, which would threaten Red Sea trade routes and Ethiopia’s corridor to Djibouti.