Ethiopia’s federal government and authorities in the northern Tigray region have accused each other of launching new military offensives, raising fears of a return to full-scale conflict.
Getachew Reda, an adviser to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, said Tigrayan forces had seized control of three federally administered airports and launched attacks against government positions in neighbouring Afar and Amhara regions.
Tigrayan authorities gave a different account, saying their forces had been pushed into what they described as a “defensive war” following reports of drone strikes and other attacks in the region. The renewed fighting threatens the Pretoria peace agreement that ended Ethiopia’s two-year Tigray war in November 2022. A conflict that killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions.
The latest escalation follows months of rising tensions between the federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which controls the region.
On Wednesday, Tigrayan forces seized the airports in Mekelle, Axum and Shire, according to the African Union. The move disrupted civilian air services and led Ethiopian Airlines to suspend flights to the three cities.
Getachew accused the TPLF of launching an “all-out offensive” against federal positions in Afar and Amhara. Tigrayan authorities, meanwhile, accused Addis Ababa of launching an “open invasion” of the region. The competing claims have not been independently verified.
Reports of drone strikes have added to concerns about civilian safety. Tigrayan authorities said a strike in Alamata killed at least 14 people and injured 22 others. Local officials accused federal forces of targeting schools, but Ethiopia’s government has not commented on the allegations.
US Condemns Strike
The US State Department has also condemned a separate drone strike that it said targeted a convoy of Catholic vehicles carrying food aid, calling for an investigation and urging the parties to resolve their differences through dialogue.
The African Union has called for an immediate halt to actions that could escalate the crisis and urged the federal government and TPLF to resume direct talks under the Pretoria agreement. AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf also asked former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo to support renewed diplomatic efforts.
Ethiopian President Taye Atske Selassie, speaking at the UN General Assembly, said his government had shown “immense restraint” despite what he described as interference by adversarial elements.
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