Fighting has escalated in Ethiopia after forces from the northern Tigray region launched a major offensive against the federal government, according to Getachew Reda, adviser to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) said it had entered a “defensive” war, accusing the government of escalating pressure on the region.
According to Getachew Reda, the TPLF seized control of federally controlled airports in Tigray and launched an offensive against government positions in the neighbouring regions of Afar and Amhara. Reports indicated fighting involving Tigrayan forces, federal forces and allied armed groups, although the full scale of the clashes remained unclear. Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights to Tigray amid the security situation.
African Union Commission Chair Mahmoud Ali Youssouf urged both sides to immediately de-escalate and begin direct talks, while US Ambassador Ervin J. Massinga called for political dialogue.
The latest fighting has revived concerns over a return to the devastation of the 2020–2022 Tigray war, which began after a breakdown in relations between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s federal government and the TPLF-led regional administration. The conflict was estimated to have killed hundreds of thousands of people, displaced millions and created a major humanitarian crisis before the African Union-brokered Pretoria Agreement halted large-scale fighting in 2022.
The war also drew in Eritrea, whose forces supported Ethiopia’s federal government during the conflict. Disputes over Eritrea’s role and wider regional ambitions have remained a source of tension, with the legacy of the war continuing to shape Ethiopia’s internal politics and wider Horn of Africa security.
ℹ️ Reuters
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