Tigray fighters have seized airports and clashed with federal troops in Afar, signaling a dangerous escalation after months of skirmishes and drone strikes. Reports say the TPLF controls multiple towns while federal forces are said to be retreating; Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights to Mekelle, Shire and Axum. The renewed fighting follows a fragile peace that collapsed in late 2025, leaving roughly one million people still displaced and widespread humanitarian needs.
Tigray Forces Seize Multiple Airports as Clashes Escalate in Afar
Tigrayan rebels seized control of airports in the northern region (Aude GENET)
Tigrayan fighters have seized control of key airports and engaged federal troops in Ethiopia's Afar region, multiple sources told AFP on Wednesday, in a sharp escalation of long-simmering tensions.
Witnesses and aid workers reported clashes late Tuesday in the towns of Abala and Erebti. A foreign security source in Ethiopia and humanitarian staff said the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) was in control of Abala. A former TPLF official also told AFP the rebels held Berhale, Erebti, Abala, Megale, Dalul and Konoba in Afar — claims that AFP could not independently verify for all locations.
Taken Airports and Suspended Flights. Tigrayan forces reportedly took control of airports in Mekelle and Shire, and there were unconfirmed reports they also held Axum. Ethiopian Airlines said it had suspended flights to all three cities. An Alula Aba Nega Airport employee in Mekelle told AFP that staff were sent home after being informed the airport had been taken over; only a small federal police contingent remained at the site, their status unknown.
Government Bombardment Allegations. The Tigray regional administration said it was responding to "intensive bombardments" by federal forces on Tuesday involving "aircraft, drones and artillery." AFP has not independently verified those strikes. The regional government said the Tigray army "has been instructed to counter the attack and genocidal invasion launched against us, and has entered into a defensive battle." Federal authorities in Addis Ababa had not issued a public comment on the clashes at the time of reporting.
"We expect it to spread. We just dispatched a truck with food to assist displaced people," an aid worker in Afar said on condition of anonymity.
Getachew Reda, a former TPLF leader who later aligned with the federal government, wrote on X that the fighting was "heartbreaking" and accused the TPLF of launching an all-out offensive against government positions in Afar and Amhara; AFP has not independently confirmed reports of fighting in Amhara.
Context and Humanitarian Impact
The TPLF fought a brutal civil war with the federal government from 2020 to 2022 that the African Union estimates cost about 600,000 lives. The Pretoria Peace Agreement formally ended that war, but the calm has been fragile: clashes recurred in late 2025 and sporadic skirmishes and drone strikes in recent months raised fears of renewed large-scale conflict.
Rights groups have accused the TPLF of conducting forced recruitment this year as it prepares for potential renewed fighting. The region remains badly scarred: around one million people remain displaced and many elements of the peace deal are unimplemented. Ethiopian authorities have accused the TPLF of aligning with Eritrea and other armed groups, while the federal government has notably increased domestic production of military drones and deployed troops along the Tigray border.
Humanitarian Concerns
Humanitarian teams report displacement and urgent needs for food, shelter and medical assistance. Aid organizations and local contacts warned the situation could worsen if the fighting expands across Afar and into neighbouring regions.
Note: Several claims about territorial control and bombardments come from sources and the parties involved and have not been independently verified by AFP.
Help us improve.
