The European Union has called for an "immediate de-escalation" after Tigray rebels in Ethiopia confirmed they were in a state of "full-blown war" with the federal government. The separatists have seized control of several towns and airports, amid reports of heavy artillery attacks in neighbouring regions.
Tensions have been rising for months between the federal government and the authorities in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region, who fought a devastating civil war in 2020-2022 that killed more than 600,000 people, according to African Union estimates.
The two sides accuse each other of triggering a return to open conflict with attacks this week, prompting alarm in the international community.
The EU on Wednesday called for an "immediate de-escalation" of the growing conflict and condemned strikes on humanitarian convoys.
"The European Union is deeply concerned by the rapidly deteriorating situation in northern Ethiopia and its impact on the population, including reports of military activity across multiple localities," said an EU spokesperson in a statement.
On Wednesday, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which dominates the region, seized control of three airports in the cities of Mekelle, Shire and Axum, taking prisoner the small number of federal police that guard them.
Ethiopian Airlines said it had suspended flights to all three.
"We are in the situation of full-blown war now," TPLF vice president Amanuel Assefa told French news agency AFP.
He confirmed fighting was ongoing in the neighbouring regions of Afar and Amhara, with Tigrayan forces joined by local armed groups.
New alliance in action
Humanitarian workers in Afar told AFP of fighting between TPLF and federal forces in Abala and the town of Erebti, around 100 kilometres further into the region.
"We are expecting it to expand. We just sent a truck with food to help the people displaced," one worked, who requested anonymity, said.
A foreign security source said the TPLF was in control of Abala, while a former TPLF senior official told AFP the rebels were in control of several towns in the region, which could not be independently confirmed.
The federal forces are "fast retreating", the former official said.
Conflict monitoring platform Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) said Tigrayan forces had attacked positions in the Amhara region and were working alongside a local insurgent group known as the Fano, part of the new Alliance for Survival.
"Today's episode will cause worry that the other agents in the alliance are about to act in their areas across the Ethiopian state," ACLED said in a briefing note, although it added that several of the groups have limited capabilities.
The federal government in the capital Addis Ababa, which is yet to comment on the clashes, has significant military advantages, having ramped up production of military drones since the last conflict.
Pushing into Afar and Amhara suggests the Tigrayans are planning a similar strategy to that seen in the civil war in 2020-2022 – seeking to cut off supply lines, and ultimately threaten Addis Ababa.
"Their stated aim is to take Addis, but its tactical manoeuvres to reach the city are not yet known," said regional expert Kjetil Tronvoll, of Oslo New University College.
Thousands displaced
Ethiopian authorities have also accused the TPLF of allying with neighbouring Eritrea, which it denies.
The TPLF ruled Ethiopia from 1991 to 2018 before being sidelined with the rise of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, eventually triggering the civil war.
During the war of 2020-2022, the Fano group and Eritrea both fought with the government against the Tigrayans.
The Pretoria Peace Agreement ended the war and maintained an uneasy calm until late 2025, when clashes resumed. The federal government has since launched drone strikes in Tigray and massed troops at the regional border.
Rights groups have accused the TPLF of a campaign of forced recruitment this year, as it prepares for renewed conflict.
The region has not recovered from the last war, with around 1 million people still displaced and many aspects of the peace agreement unfulfilled.
(with AFP)
