Tigray Rebels Seize Airports As Fighting With Ethiopian Forces Escalates

Tigray forces have reportedly seized control of airports in Mekelle, Axum and Shire as clashes with Ethiopian government forces intensify in Tigray and neighbouring Afar and Amhara regions. Ethiopian Airlines has suspended flights to the three airports because of the security situation. The escalation comes after the TPLF joined a new alliance seeking to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government, raising fears of a return to the devastating 2020–2022 Tigray war, which killed hundreds of thousands and displaced more than one million people

TPLF FORCES TAKE CONTROL OF TIGRAY AIRPORTS

Tigrayan forces have taken control of airports in the northern Ethiopian region of Tigray as renewed clashes with federal troops raise fears that the country could slide back into a wider conflict.
Local and security sources told AFP that Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF)-led forces seized the airport in Mekelle, the regional capital, while other reports said they also took control of the airports in Axum and Shire.
The reported seizures prompted state-owned Ethiopian Airlines to suspend flights to all three airports, citing the security situation in the region.
The airport takeovers are among the most serious developments since fighting between the TPLF and Ethiopia's federal government resumed in recent months.

FIGHTING SPREADS INTO AFAR AND AMHARA

The renewed violence has not been confined to Tigray.
Humanitarian and security sources reported fighting between Tigrayan forces and federal troops around Abala and Erebti in neighbouring Afar region.
A former TPLF official claimed that Tigrayan forces had taken control of several locations in Afar, although AFP said it could not independently verify all of those claims.
There were also reports of clashes along the Tigray-Amhara border. The extent of fighting in Amhara remained unclear, with some claims coming from former TPLF officials and other local sources.
The Tigray regional government said its forces were responding defensively after what it described as intensive bombardment by federal forces involving aircraft, drones and artillery.
Those claims could not be independently verified.

ETHIOPIA FEARS A RETURN TO FULL-SCALE WAR

The latest clashes have revived memories of Ethiopia's devastating 2020-2022 Tigray war.
The conflict between Tigrayan forces and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's federal government caused enormous civilian suffering and displacement. The African Union has estimated that about 600,000 people were killed during the conflict, while around one million people remain displaced.
The scale of the previous war has made renewed fighting particularly worrying for civilians in Tigray and neighbouring regions.
Humanitarian workers have already reported new displacement linked to the latest clashes.
One humanitarian source told AFP that aid workers were expecting the fighting to expand and had sent food assistance to people displaced by the violence.

PRETORIA PEACE AGREEMENT UNDER PRESSURE

The renewed fighting threatens the fragile peace established by the Pretoria Agreement, which was signed in November 2022 and ended the main phase of the Tigray war.
The agreement halted large-scale hostilities but left several important issues unresolved, including the status of disputed territories, the return of displaced people and the full implementation of political and security provisions.
An uneasy calm continued for several years, but tensions increased again from late 2025, with reports of clashes, military deployments and drone strikes.
The latest fighting is therefore not an entirely sudden development but the culmination of months of deteriorating relations between Tigrayan authorities and the federal government.

NEW ANTI-GOVERNMENT ALLIANCE ADDS TO TENSIONS

The escalation comes only days after the TPLF joined six other Ethiopian armed and political groups in a new alliance calling for the removal of Abiy Ahmed's government.
The group, known as the Ethiopian Peoples' Forces Alliance for Survival, includes the TPLF, Amhara Fano National Movement, Oromo Liberation Army and four other regional organisations.
The alliance says it wants to establish an inclusive transitional government.
The coalition brings together groups that have previously been rivals, including the TPLF and Amhara forces that fought on opposing sides during the 2020-2022 war.
Analysts have cautioned that the groups have different political objectives and territorial disputes, meaning the extent to which they can coordinate military operations remains uncertain.

TPLF SAYS IT IS FIGHTING DEFENSIVELY

The Tigray regional government has rejected the description of its latest military actions as an unprovoked offensive.
In a statement, it said the Tigray army had been instructed to respond to what it described as an attack and "genocidal invasion" by federal forces.
The statement characterised the fighting as defensive.
Federal authorities had not provided a detailed public account of the latest clashes at the time of reporting. Former TPLF leader Getachew Reda, who has fallen out with the current TPLF leadership, accused the group of launching an offensive against government positions in Afar and Amhara.
The competing accounts underline the difficulty of independently establishing what triggered the latest escalation.

TIGRAY REMAINS DEEPLY AFFECTED BY THE LAST WAR

Tigray has not fully recovered from the destruction caused by the previous conflict.
Large numbers of people remain displaced, while communities continue to face challenges involving housing, food security, healthcare and reconstruction.
The incomplete implementation of the Pretoria Agreement has also left unresolved political and territorial questions.
A return to large-scale fighting could therefore worsen an already fragile humanitarian situation and make the return of displaced people even more difficult.

ETHIOPIA FACES MULTIPLE SECURITY CHALLENGES

The Tigray crisis is unfolding alongside other armed conflicts in Ethiopia.
The federal government has faced insurgencies in Oromia and Amhara, while ethnic and territorial tensions have affected several other parts of the country.
The new Alliance for Survival has brought together organisations from different regions, raising concerns that simultaneous conflicts could place additional pressure on Ethiopia's security forces.
However, analysts note that the alliance's members have different levels of military strength and political objectives, and it remains unclear how effectively they can operate together.

ETHIOPIAN AIR TRAVEL DISRUPTED

The seizure of the airports has already affected civilian movement.
Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights to Mekelle, Axum and Shire because of the security situation.
For residents, the suspension could complicate travel, medical access, humanitarian operations and the movement of essential supplies.
Mekelle is Tigray's main administrative and commercial centre, making the reported loss of airport access particularly significant.

REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL CONCERNS GROW

The renewed violence could also have consequences beyond Ethiopia's borders.
Tigray shares a border with Eritrea, a country that played a major role in the previous conflict. Ethiopia has accused the TPLF of having links with Eritrea and other armed groups, while Eritrea's involvement remains a highly sensitive regional issue.
Ethiopia is also strategically important because of its position in the Horn of Africa and its proximity to the Red Sea.
Any prolonged conflict could therefore create wider humanitarian, political and security consequences across the region.

CIVILIANS FACE THE GREATEST RISK

For civilians in Tigray, Afar and Amhara, the renewed fighting brings memories of a war that caused mass deaths, displacement and destruction.
The immediate concern is whether the latest clashes remain limited or develop into sustained fighting involving larger forces and heavier weapons.
With airports closed, new displacement reported and military activity increasing along regional borders, humanitarian organisations are likely to face greater difficulties reaching affected communities.
The priority for civilians remains preventing a return to the scale of violence seen during the 2020-2022 war.

FEARS OF ANOTHER ETHIOPIAN WAR

The seizure of the Tigray airports and fighting in neighbouring regions represent a serious deterioration in Ethiopia's fragile post-war peace.
The developments come at a particularly sensitive moment, following the formation of the new anti-government alliance and months of rising tensions between the TPLF and Addis Ababa.
Whether the latest clashes develop into another full-scale war will depend on the actions of the federal government, the TPLF and the other armed groups now aligned against Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
For now, the renewed fighting has reopened painful memories of Ethiopia's previous war and placed an already fragile peace under renewed pressure.