Tigrayan rebels have seized control of airports in northern Ethiopia and clashed with federal troops in the neighbouring Afar region. Multiple sources confirmed the clashes, which broke out in the towns of Abala and Erebti late on Tuesday. The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) fought a devastating civil war with the federal government from 2020 to 2022, resulting in an estimated 600,000 deaths. Sporadic clashes and drone strikes in recent months had raised fears of a return to war.
The TPLF has taken control of several towns in the Afar region, including Abala, Erebti, Berhale, Megale, Dalul, and Konoba. A foreign security source confirmed that the TPLF was in control of Abala, which is located in mountain ranges marking the border with Tigray. Federal forces have been based in Abala in recent months. The situation in Erebti, around 100 kilometres further into Afar, is also tense.
The Tigray regional government stated that it was responding to "intensive bombardments" by federal forces on Tuesday, involving aircraft, drones, and artillery. The Tigray army has been instructed to counter the attack and has entered into a defensive battle. However, federal authorities in Addis Ababa have yet to comment on the clashes. The TPLF has seized control of airports in the regional cities of Mekelle, Shire, and Axum.
Ethiopian Airlines has suspended flights to the three airports under TPLF control. An employee at Alula Aba Nega Airport in Mekelle reported that the airport was taken over by Tigray forces, and staff were sent home. A small number of federal police guard the airport, but their situation is unknown. A former TPLF leader, Getachew Reda, who joined the federal government, described the new fighting as "heartbreaking".
The TPLF announced on Sunday that it had joined a new alliance of anti-government armed groups from across Ethiopia. The alliance includes groups from the Oromia and Amhara regions, which face multiple insurgencies. The TPLF ruled Ethiopia from 1991 to 2018 before being sidelined with the rise of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, leading to the civil war.
The Pretoria Peace Agreement ended the war but maintained an uneasy calm until late 2025, when clashes resumed. The federal government has since launched drone strikes in Tigray and massed troops at the regional border. Rights groups have accused the TPLF of a campaign of forced recruitment this year as it prepares for renewed conflict.
The region has not recovered from the last war, with around one million people still displaced and many aspects of the peace agreement unfulfilled. Ethiopian authorities have accused the TPLF of allying with neighbouring Eritrea and Ethiopian armed groups. The federal government has a significant military advantage, having increased production of military drones since the last conflict.
Key points
- The TPLF has seized control of airports in Mekelle, Shire, and Axum.
- Clashes broke out in the towns of Abala and Erebti in the Afar region.
- The TPLF has joined a new alliance of anti-government armed groups from across Ethiopia.
