Fighting Resumes in Northern Ethiopia Amid Telecommunications Blackout
Renewed combat between federal soldiers and regional fighters threatens to trigger another major humanitarian crisis across northern Ethiopia.
Renewed fighting erupted between Ethiopian federal armed forces and regional fighters across Tigray and neighboring areas in late September. The clashes have spread beyond Tigray into the Amhara and Afar regions, disrupting civilian daily life.
The resurgence in combat marks a serious breakdown of the peace framework reached in Pretoria, South Africa, in 2022. That earlier two-year war killed an estimated 600,000 people and displaced more than 1 million individuals.
Civilians reported being trapped by artillery exchanges, air raids and ground operations along several frontline areas. Telecommunications providers disrupted telephone and internet connectivity across most of Tigray, leaving residents cut off from outside communication. The media blackout has made it difficult to verify casualty figures and civilian losses.
Tigray People's Liberation Front fighters seized control of regional airports previously protected by federal police. The regional administration announced that it had entered open combat with the central government. Ethiopian authorities claimed government troops inflicted heavy casualties on regional fighters in the North Wello zone of the Amhara region. Tigrayan representatives dismissed those statements.
The escalation followed the creation of an armed coalition uniting Tigrayan forces with the Amhara Fano militia and other insurgent factions. Government officials accused the armed opposition of initiating cross-border incursions to destabilize the north. Tigrayan leaders argued that federal authorities broke the peace accords by maintaining economic restrictions on basic goods, banking and fuel.
Humanitarian agencies warned that expanding operations are blocking aid delivery across northern Ethiopia. The United Nations said that insecurity and road closures prevented convoys from reaching displaced people who also face drought conditions. Armed actors have seized aid vehicles and equipment in parts of Amhara.
The United Nations, the African Union and the European Union called on all parties to stop hostilities and resume political talks. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres is engaging with regional leaders in New York to promote de-escalation.
