Tigray rebels escalate conflict, seize airports in northern Ethiopia
Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) has declared full-scale war against Ethiopia's federal government, seizing three airports in Tigray and launching attacks into Afar and Amhara regions. Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights to Mekelle, Shire, and Axum. The conflict threatens the 2022 peace agreement and risks wider regional instability involving Eritrea.
Brève Publié le (Africa/Lagos, UTC+1)
The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) has declared a full-scale war against Ethiopia’s federal government, intensifying fighting across northern Ethiopia.
On Wednesday, TPLF forces seized control of three airports in the Tigray region—Mekelle, Shire, and Axum—and launched attacks into the neighbouring Afar and Amhara regions. In response, Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights to these airports.
Military footage and social media images show activity in key towns such as Abala and Mekelle, indicating the scale of the conflict. The Ethiopian army claims to have killed 272 Tigrayan fighters and wounded 260 during a counter-offensive in Amhara, though these figures remain unverified.
This resurgence of violence threatens to unravel the 2022 peace agreement that ended a devastating two-year war in Tigray, which the African Union estimates claimed over 600,000 lives. There are growing concerns that the escalation could draw Eritrea into a broader regional conflict, further destabilizing the Horn of Africa.