A fresh showdown between Ethiopia’s federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front is raising fears that the country’s northern region could slide back into full-scale war.
The government and the TPLF, which controls Tigray, have accused one another of launching military offensives, deepening tensions months after both sides repeatedly alleged breaches of the peace agreement that ended their two-year conflict.
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Getachew Reda, a cabinet minister and adviser to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, said Tigrayan forces had seized control of federally administered airports in Tigray and launched attacks in the neighbouring Afar and Amhara regions.
Earlier, Tigrayan authorities said their forces had been compelled to enter a “defensive war”, following reports of drone strikes across Tigray.
The war in Tigray ended in 2022, but accusations by both sides of violations of the peace deal have intensified in recent months.
The conflict was among the deadliest of this century. The African Union’s mediator estimated that about 600,000 people died as the fighting pushed the region towards famine.
On Sunday, the TPLF announced an alliance with six other armed groups in Ethiopia aimed at removing the government in Addis Ababa.
“It is rather heartbreaking to learn that, despite efforts by many, including the international community, to avoid yet another round of war in Tigray, the TPLF leadership early this morning launched an all-out offensive against government positions in Afar and Amhara,” Getachew said in a statement posted on social media.
Getachew previously led Tigray’s interim administration as an adviser to Prime Minister Abiy, but broke with the TPLF in 2025 before joining the federal government.
Ethiopian Airlines cancelled all flights to Tigray after the airports were seized.
Residents of Mekelle, Tigray’s main city, told the BBC that regional forces took control of the city’s airport from the national police early on Wednesday.
The reported takeover came after allegations of drone strikes in Tigray in recent days.
At least 14 people were killed and 22 injured in a strike on the southern town of Alamata on Tuesday, according to Tigrayan authorities.
Mogos Shiferaw, the town’s mayor, told the BBC that more than five drones and a fighter jet carried out at least 21 strikes from about 03:30.
“This caused a lot of psychological trauma in our city and our people were in a state of panic,” he said.
Mogos said all of the casualties were civilians and accused federal forces of striking two secondary schools.
He said the schools may have been targeted because of suspicions that Tigrayan forces were using them.
However, the mayor said the buildings were empty because the academic year had not started. They had served as federal military bases during the civil war.
The BBC has not independently verified the claims, and the government has not commented on the alleged strikes.
On Wednesday, Tigrayan authorities accused Addis Ababa of carrying out an “open invasion” and called on residents to support regional forces and preserve unity.
They also accused the government of breaching international humanitarian and human rights law, saying the fighting had disrupted public services and damaged critical infrastructure.
The US State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs separately condemned what it said was a drone strike on Monday against a convoy of Catholic vehicles transporting food aid.
The bureau called for an investigation, urged the parties to settle their differences through dialogue and pressed them to take measures to prevent similar incidents.
Leaders in both Addis Ababa and the TPLF have faced criticism over delays in carrying out key provisions of the Pretoria Agreement, the AU-brokered accord that formally ended the war in November 2022.
In July, Abiy told parliament that the TPLF was preparing for a renewed conflict.
Shortly before the general election in May, which was not held in Tigray because of the security situation, the TPLF reinstated its pre-war administration and dissolved the interim government appointed by Abiy.
There have also been reports that the TPLF has forcibly recruited young men to serve in its forces.
