Full Breakdown
Renewed Fighting in Ethiopia’s North: Airport Seizures, New Alliance and Regional Tensions
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
On September 23 2026 forces aligned with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) seized the airports in Mekelle, Axum and Shire, prompting Ethiopian Airlines to suspend flights. Simultaneously, clashes erupted in Afar and Amhara, the first large-scale combat since the 2022 Pretoria peace agreement. The TPLF announced a “full-blown war” and said it was fighting alongside the newly formed Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival, a coalition of seven armed groups seeking to overthrow Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government.
Background & Context
The 2020-2022 civil war ended with the Pretoria Agreement on November 2 2022, which left the status of Western Tigray, displaced persons and disarmament unresolved. Sporadic drone strikes and low-intensity clashes persisted.
On September 20 2026 the TPLU reported a drone destroyed a truck carrying 41 tonnes of food aid near Adi Daero, heightening humanitarian concerns. The following week the TPLF announced an alliance with six other groups—including the Amhara Fano National Movement, the Oromo Liberation Army, the Ogaden National Liberation Front, the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front, the Benishangul Peoples’ Liberation Movement and the Gumuz Peoples’ Democratic Movement.
Official Statements & Responses
- Ethiopian federal government – spokesperson Billene Seyoum told Reuters that alliance members had been receiving financial backing from Eritrea, a claim Eritrea denies. The government called the TPLF’s actions a “premeditated assault on civilian infrastructure” and said the door to dialogue remains open for groups that lay down arms.
- TPLF – Vice-president Amanuel Assefa told AFP that Tigray forces were responding to an “intensified bombardment” by federal troops and declared the situation a “full-blown war.”
- African Union (AU) – Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf called for “immediate de-escalation” and urged both sides to resume talks under the Pretoria Agreement, tasking former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo with mediation.
- United Nations – Secretary-General António Guterres appealed for restraint, protection of civilians and unhindered humanitarian access.
- United States – Ambassador Ervin J. Massinga condemned the TPLF’s “large-scale offensive” and warned of additional sanctions.
Criticism & Opposition
The organization called on all actors to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure and urged international monitoring of the conflict.
On-the-Ground Reports
Residents of Mekelle and Adigrat described panic-buying, empty shelves and soaring prices for medicines. In Afar, humanitarian workers confirmed clashes in Abala and Erebti and reported that Tigrayan forces were using heavy artillery to try to capture the border town of Yallo.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Initiation of fighting – The TPLF says federal forces launched an “intensified bombardment”; federal adviser Getachew Reda accuses the TPLF of an “all-out offensive.”
- Casualty figures – ENDF’s claim of 272 TPLF fighters killed and 260 wounded lacks independent verification; no federal casualty numbers have been released.
- Territorial control – TPLF sources say they control multiple towns in Afar, while federal sources dispute the extent of those gains.
What’s Next
The AU has asked former President Olusegun Obasanjo to lead urgent mediation, while the UN and the United States continue to press for a return to dialogue under the Pretoria framework. Both sides have signaled willingness to discuss a cease-fire, but the alliance’s heterogeneous composition and competing territorial claims raise doubts about a swift resolution. Monitoring civilian displacement, humanitarian access and any external involvement—particularly from Eritrea—will be critical.