Fighting widens across Ethiopia as Tigray clashes escalate
Fighting in northern Ethiopia escalated sharply as clashes between federal forces and several armed groups spread across Tigray and into the neighbouring Afar and Amhara regions. The confrontation followed the formation of a new coalition of seven armed movements that pledged to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government.
Why It Matters
The widening violence raises the prospect of a broader national conflict after a fragile post-war settlement, and risks further displacement and regional instability given the involvement of multiple armed movements and reports of drone strikes. The situation also complicates diplomatic efforts by regional and international actors calling for dialogue.
Key Facts
- Date of initial reports: Wednesday (as reported in the source)
- Main rebel group quoted: Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF)
- TPLF official quoted: Abdisalam Balema
- Other senior figure mentioned: Getachew Reda, adviser to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed
- Regions affected: Tigray, Afar, and Amhara
Residents and rebel officials reported an offensive beginning in southern Tigray that rapidly expanded, with fighting intensifying across parts of the region and later extending into neighbouring Afar and Amhara. TPLF sources described strikes and counteroffensive operations after what they characterized as a large-scale federal assault involving infantry, mechanised units and drones. The Tigrayan capital, Mekelle, was a focal point for reports, and TPLF spokespeople said they were working to assess the situation amid ongoing strikes.
The federal government's narrative differed: Getachew Reda, a former senior TPLF figure who now advises Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, accused the TPLF of initiating the hostilities. Amid those competing accounts, Tigrayan forces were reported to have seized airports in the region, prompting Ethiopian Airlines to suspend flights across Tigray, and local sources said they captured Abala in Afar.
The fighting followed closely after seven armed movements announced the creation of the Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival, a coalition that includes the TPLF, the Amhara Fano National Movement and the Oromo Liberation Army, plus groups from Somali, Afar and Benishangul-Gumuz areas. The alliance stated that federal forces were attacking its members on multiple fronts and framed its actions as part of the broader campaign that led to the coalition’s formation.
Analysts and regional officials trace the new alignment to fractures that emerged after the 2022 Pretoria agreement, which ended the two-year war in Tigray and reshaped relationships among Addis Ababa, the TPLF, Eritrea and regional militias. That settlement left some previous partners, including Eritrean and Amhara forces, outside its terms and contributed to realignments and renewed tensions. The East African bloc IGAD urged an end to hostilities and a return to direct talks, while the United Nations expressed concern about the alliance’s formation and reports of drone strikes. Prior to this escalation, UN migration data indicated about 750,000 people were internally displaced within Tigray from the earlier conflict.
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