ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Two Eritrean pilots have defected with their fighter jets to neighboring Ethiopia, an Eritrean opposition group confirmed Thursday, in a dramatic exit from one of the world’s most closed-off states.
“The two pilots flew their small-sized fighter jets to Mekelle on Wednesday morning,” said Nasredin Ahmed Ali, spokesman for the Ethiopia-based Red Sea Afar Democratic Organization.
The spokesman identified the pilots as Afeworki Fisehaye and Mebrahtu Tesfamariam and described them as being very experienced with Eritrea’s air force. He said Ethiopian fighter jets accompanied them upon their entry into the country’s airspace.
One witness, Abiy Chelkeba, a lecturer at Mekelle University, said Ethiopian jets were flying very low and conducting unusual turns.