Omanghana
Tensions between Ethiopia’s federal government and forces in the northern Tigray region have intensified following reports that Tigrayan fighters took control of airports in Mekelle, Shire and Axum on September 23. The reported takeovers and a suspension of flights to the region could not be independently confirmed.
The developments come days after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) joined six other Ethiopian opposition groups in an alliance seeking to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government. The coalition includes groups that fought on opposing sides of Ethiopia’s 2020–2022 war, and it remains unclear how closely they can coordinate their actions.
Reports of clashes near Tigray’s borders with Afar and Amhara have added to fears of a wider conflict. Tigrayan authorities say their forces are responding to drone strikes, including an alleged attack near Alamata that they say killed 14 people and injured 22. Those casualty figures and the circumstances of the reported strike have not been independently verified.
The renewed tensions threaten the peace agreement signed in Pretoria in November 2022, which ended two years of devastating war. Hundreds of thousands of people died during that conflict. Further fighting would put civilians at risk and could disrupt the delivery of humanitarian aid to communities still recovering from it.
Source: Omanghana
