Tigrayan forces launched a major offensive against Ethiopian government positions on Wednesday. A senior government official confirmed the attack. Tigray’s leaders said their forces entered a “defensive war” in response to federal aggression. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) had earlier formed an alliance with six armed groups seeking to challenge Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government. Fighting spread to neighbouring Afar and Amhara regions. Tigrayan forces fought alongside local armed groups. Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights to Tigray.
Ethiopia fought a civil war from 2020 to 2022. The TPLF and federal forces clashed. Hundreds of thousands died. The Pretoria Agreement ended hostilities in November 2022. The peace deal was fragile. Tensions grew through 2026. The TPLF accused Abiy of centralising power. Abiy accused the TPLF of seeking chaos. In September 2026, the TPLF announced an alliance with six armed groups. The offensive followed.
Getachew Reda, an adviser to Abiy and a former TPLF official, said the TPLF seized federally controlled airports in Tigray. He said they launched an “all out offensive” against government positions in Afar and Amhara. The Tigray regional government said it was countering an “invasion” by federal forces. It accused federal troops of intensive bombardments involving aircraft, drones and artillery. Clashes were reported in Abala and Erebti in Afar. In Amhara, federal forces fired heavy weapons from a camp in Lalibela. The African Union urged both sides to de-escalate and hold direct talks. Regional diplomats warned the fighting could widen. Ethiopia’s neighbours, Sudan and Eritrea, face their own instability. The conflict threatens the Horn of Africa.
Winners: The TPLF, which gains territory. Allied armed groups, which gain leverage. Eritrea, if Ethiopia is weakened. Losers: Ethiopian civilians, who face displacement. The Pretoria Agreement, which collapses. Regional stability, which erodes. The African Union, whose mediation fails.
Bottom Line: Tigray forces launched an offensive. Airports seized. Fighting spreads. The 2022 peace deal is broken. Ethiopia faces a new civil war. The Horn of Africa cannot afford it.