Squid News

Tigray rebels in Ethiopia told AFP on Thursday they were in a state of “full-blown war” with the federal government, with reports of hundreds killed and heavy artillery attacks in neighbouring states. Tensions have been rising for months between the federal government and the authorities in the northern Tigray state, who fought a devastating civil war in 2020-2022 that killed more than 600,000 people, according to African Union estimates.

The two sides accuse each other of triggering a return to open conflict with attacks this week, and there are fears the fighting could draw neighbouring Eritrea into a wider conflict. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) launched attacks into the neighbouring states of Afar and Amhara on Wednesday. A humanitarian source in Afar told AFP there were heavy artillery attacks by the rebels on Thursday as they attempted to take control of the town of Yallo, near the Tigrayan border. “We are in the situation of full-blown war now,” TPLF vice president Amanuel Assefa told AFP, confirming that Tigrayan forces were fighting alongside local armed groups in Afar and Amhara.

The federal army said it had killed 272 TPLF soldiers as they launched attacks in multiple parts of North Wollo Zone in Amhara. AFP could not independently verify the figures and no casualties were given for the federal army or civilians. AFP received reports of fighting around Lalibela, also in North Wollo Zone, which is home to Ethiopia’s medieval rock churches, which are UNESCO World Heritage sites, causing its airport to close.

The area has often been targeted by the Fano, a local armed group that is now operating alongside the TPLF. Analysts say the Tigrayan assaults mirror their strategy during the 2020-2022 war — seeking to cut off supply lines and push towards the capital, Addis Ababa.”Their stated aim is to take Addis, but its tactical manoeuvres to reach the city are not yet known,” said regional expert Kjetil Tronvoll, of Oslo New University College. The offensive in Afar, he said, is likely aimed at cutting off supplies from Djibouti, which supplies almost all of Ethiopia’s international trade cargo, including fuel.- Regional conflict -Ethiopian President Taye Atske Selassie Amde, speaking at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, decried “the forces of destruction and mayhem” and “interference in our internal affairs by adversarial elements”. Analysts say the Tigray rebels have support from Eritrea, which fears landlocked Ethiopia is planning to invade its territory to gain access to the Red Sea. The TPLF’s Assefa told AFP “we have no information about Eritrea’s plan”. Asked if they would request Eritrean intervention, he said: “Not yet.”The Sudanese army is also angry with Ethiopia over its alleged support for its paramilitary enemies, the Rapid Support Forces — threatening to further complicate the situation. The renewed fighting comes at an awkward moment for the United States, which only this month lifted sanctions on Ethiopia and Eritrea related to the last civil war, saying the “national emergency… has expired”. The US embassy sided with Ethiopia’s government on Wednesday, saying it was “disappointed to see the leadership of the TPLF… launch a large-scale offensive”.- Alliances -The TPLF forged an anti-government alliance last weekend with the Fano in Amhara and five other armed groups around the country.

The dynamics have changed since the last civil war, when the Fano and Eritrea both fought with the government against the Tigrayans, only to be frustrated when a peace deal was signed in 2022. The Pretoria Peace Agreement of 2022 maintained an uneasy calm until late last year, when clashes resumed. The federal government has since launched drone strikes in Tigray and massed troops at the regional border. The TPLF ruled the whole of Ethiopia from 1991 to 2018 before being sidelined with the rise of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, eventually triggering the civil war. Rights groups have accused the TPLF of a campaign of forced recruitment this year as it prepared for renewed conflict, even as around one million people remained displaced from the last war.

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:39:22 GMT