23-09-2026
Tigrayan forces have reportedly seized airports and clashed with Ethiopian federal troops in the Afar region, raising fears that Ethiopia’s unresolved conflict could return to full-scale war. Humanitarian workers told AFP that fighting began late Tuesday in Abala and Erebti. A foreign security source confirmed clashes and said Tigrayan forces controlled Abala, while a former TPLF official claimed the forces had taken several other Afar towns; AFP could not verify that broader claim. The Tigray regional government said its forces were responding defensively to federal bombardments involving aircraft, drones and artillery, but those attacks also could not be independently verified. Federal authorities had not commented at the time of reporting.
Tigrayan forces also took control of airports in Mekelle and Shire, and reportedly Axum, prompting Ethiopian Airlines to suspend flights to all three cities. An airport employee in Mekelle said staff were sent home after being told the airport had been taken over. The status of a small contingent of federal police at the airport was unknown. Former TPLF leader Getachew Reda described the fighting as heartbreaking and alleged that the TPLF had launched a broad offensive in Afar and Amhara; the Amhara fighting was not independently confirmed.
The clashes follow renewed tensions after the 2020–2022 civil war, which killed an estimated 600,000 people, and the Pretoria Peace Agreement, which brought an uneasy calm. Fighting resumed in late 2025, alongside federal drone strikes and troop deployments near Tigray. The region remains deeply affected, with about one million people displaced and parts of the peace agreement unfulfilled. The article also notes allegations of forced recruitment by the TPLF, accusations of its ties to Eritrea and other armed groups, and the federal government’s substantial military advantage, including increased drone production.
Entities: Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), Tigray, Afar region, Abala, Erebti • Tone: analytical • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
23-09-2026
The article examines whether a newly announced alliance of seven Ethiopian armed movements can meaningfully challenge Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. The alliance includes the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), Amhara Fano groups and the Oromo Liberation Army, among others. Its members have pledged to remove Abiy and establish a transitional administration, but analysts question whether movements with different aims, histories and territorial disputes can coordinate militarily. The alliance may nevertheless increase pressure on Abiy by presenting opposition as a broader national coalition and raising the political cost of a settlement or continued conflict.
The announcement comes amid renewed fighting and mounting tensions in Tigray. The article reports claims of deadly drone strikes in Alamata, the seizure of Mekelle’s airport by Tigrayan forces, and earlier clashes and drone attacks. Some accounts could not be independently verified, and the federal government did not immediately comment on certain incidents. The TPLF says the federal government has failed to uphold the 2022 Pretoria Agreement, which ended the 2020–2022 war but left Western Tigray’s status unresolved and excluded Eritrea and Amhara forces from negotiations. The TPLF’s restoration of a prewar regional legislative council has further challenged the agreement’s interim political arrangement.
The alliance faces two major tests: the extent of Eritrea’s involvement and whether its factions can agree on command and strategy. Eritrea has an interest in developments along its border, though its role is disputed. The movements also have competing priorities, particularly over Western Tigray, and past alliances among some of them have fractured. Experts therefore describe the coalition as politically consequential but not yet a unified military force capable of advancing on Addis Ababa. The supplied article text ends mid-sentence while introducing further divisions among the groups.
Entities: Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival, Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), Amhara Fano National Movement, Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) • Tone: analytical • Sentiment: negative • Intent: analyze
23-09-2026
Ethiopia’s federal government and the Tigrayan authorities have accused each other of initiating military action, raising fears that the conflict that ended in 2022 could resume. Getachew Reda, a federal cabinet minister and adviser to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, said Tigrayan fighters had seized federally administered airports in Tigray and launched offensives in the neighbouring regions of Afar and Amhara. The Tigrayan authorities, in turn, said their forces had entered a defensive war after reports of drone strikes in the region.
Residents in Mekelle told the BBC that local forces took control of the city’s airport from national police. Ethiopian Airlines subsequently cancelled flights to Tigray. Tigrayan officials also said a drone strike in Alamata killed at least 14 people and injured 22. The town’s mayor accused federal forces of striking two secondary schools and said civilians were among the casualties. He described the attacks as causing panic and psychological trauma. The BBC said it had not independently verified the allegations, and the Ethiopian government had not commented on them.
The Tigrayan authorities accused Addis Ababa of an “open invasion” and urged residents to support regional forces. The US State Department condemned a separate reported drone strike on a convoy of Catholic vehicles carrying food aid, called for an investigation, and urged dialogue.
The renewed accusations follow months of mutual claims that the sides have violated the Pretoria Agreement, the African Union-brokered deal that formally ended the two-year war in November 2022. That conflict caused an estimated 600,000 deaths and brought Tigray close to famine. Political tensions have also grown: the TPLF recently allied with six armed groups seeking to remove the federal government, restored its pre-war regional administration, and has been accused of forcibly recruiting young men. Abiy has accused the TPLF of preparing for renewed conflict. Key provisions of the peace agreement remain delayed, while Tigray’s security situation prevented the region from holding the May general election.
Entities: Tigray, Ethiopia, Getachew Reda, Abiy Ahmed, Mogos Shiferaw • Tone: neutral • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
23-09-2026
Fighting has resumed in and around Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region, raising concern that the area could return to intense conflict after the 2020–2022 civil war. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) reportedly took control of regional airports in Mekelle, Axum and Shire. Ethiopian Airlines canceled flights to those locations, citing the “current situation.” Local witnesses said armed TPLF fighters took Mekelle Airport, which is normally controlled by government forces, without a fight. Clashes were also reported between TPLF forces and government troops in the neighboring Afar and Amhara regions.
The renewed violence follows the TPLF’s announcement that it had joined an “Alliance for Survival” with other groups seeking to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his government. Abiy’s Prosperity Party won reelection in June, although Ethiopia’s main opposition groups boycotted the vote. The TPLF governed Ethiopia from 1991 until 2018, when Abiy came to power; his election was followed by the civil war.
The Pretoria Peace Agreement ended that war, but the article says peace has remained elusive. Government forces resumed drone strikes in 2025 as TPLF fighters began gathering near regional borders. Ethiopia has accused the TPLF of aligning with Eritrea and other armed groups. A government adviser described the latest developments as “heartbreaking,” while Tigray’s government said its army had been ordered to respond to what it called an attack and “genocidal invasion,” framing its actions as defensive.
The African Union estimates that about 600,000 people were killed during the 2020–2022 conflict and that more than one million remain displaced. Against that backdrop, the reported airport takeovers and clashes have renewed fears of a broader escalation.
Entities: Ethiopia, Tigray, Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), Abiy Ahmed, Prosperity Party • Tone: analytical • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
23-09-2026
Fighting has erupted again in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, threatening the peace deal that ended the 2020–2022 civil war. A senior Ethiopian official said Tigrayan forces launched a major offensive on Wednesday. Tigray’s leaders described their actions as a defensive response to what they called aggression by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s federal government. Getachew Reda, an adviser to Abiy and former Tigrayan official, accused the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) of seizing federally controlled airports in Tigray and attacking government positions in Afar and Amhara. Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights to the region; the scale of the fighting remained unclear.
The renewed hostilities follow months of tension and the TPLF’s announcement that it had joined six other armed groups in an alliance seeking to overthrow Abiy’s government. Tigrayan forces were reportedly fighting alongside local armed groups in Afar and the Fano militia in Amhara. Afar’s regional government accused the TPLF of invasion, while Fano—once aligned with the federal government during the previous war—has since rebelled against it.
Diplomats and analysts have warned that renewed conflict could widen, amid Sudan’s civil war and instability around the Red Sea. Eritrea, which backed Ethiopia’s federal government in the prior Tigray war, has since had strained relations with Ethiopia. Abiy’s spokesperson alleged that alliance members had collaborated with Eritrean financial backing; Eritrea denies supporting Ethiopian armed groups.
Both sides have accused each other of violating the November 2022 Pretoria Agreement, whose implementation has made limited progress. The TPLF took control of Tigray’s regional government from the interim administration in May. Data cited from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project records several Ethiopian military drone strikes against Tigrayan forces. The United States condemned a recent drone strike on a Catholic Relief Services aid convoy and called for an investigation. A Catholic church statement said the strike destroyed a truck carrying food aid for internally displaced people. The federal government had not commented on the reported strikes.
Entities: Tigray, Ethiopia, Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), Abiy Ahmed, Getachew Reda • Tone: analytical • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
