Tigray rebels advance in Ethiopia as government accuses regional allies of backing offensive

Heavy clashes between the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and Ethiopia's federal forces have escalated significantly since Wednesday, reviving fears of renewed large-scale conflict similar to the 2020–2022 civil war, which resulted in approximately 600,000 deaths. The TPLF, characterizing its campaign as a "defensive war" against Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government, has seized airports and expanded operations into the neighbouring regions of Afar and Amhara.

According to humanitarian sources, TPLF forces captured the Afar town of Erebti on Sunday following sustained artillery bombardment, with rebel troops now advancing roughly 100 kilometres eastward toward Afdera. The offensive has triggered significant displacement, with estimates indicating that at least 150,000 people have been forced from their homes in Afar, though exact figures remain difficult to verify. The campaign appears designed partly to disrupt supply routes from Djibouti, which accounts for nearly all of Ethiopia's international trade and fuel imports.

Field Marshal Birhanu Jula, Ethiopia's army chief, announced on the military's YouTube channel that government forces are confronting groups "organised and allied to serve the interests of external forces," specifically naming Eritrea and Sudan alongside Egypt as backers of the TPLF and its affiliated armed groups. The TPLF has not publicly responded to these allegations. Separately, a drone strike on Sunday struck the headquarters of Tigrai TV in Mekelle, described as the primary media outlet for Tigrayan authorities, forcing the station to cease broadcasting.