Ethiopia: Tigray forces seize airports as fighting spreads to Afar

Tigrayan rebels seized control of airports and fought federal troops in Ethiopia’s neighbouring Afar region as fighting spread, multiple sources told AFP on Wednesday. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) previously fought a civil war with the federal government in 2020-2022 that African Union estimates said killed about 600,000 people. Fighting broke out late Tuesday in Abala and Erebti, according to two humanitarian staff and a foreign security source, which said the TPLF controlled Abala. A former TPLF official claimed the rebels controlled several towns, while describing federal forces as “fast-retreating.” Tigray’s regional government said it was responding to “intensive bombardments” by federal forces, including drones and artillery, though AFP could not verify attacks independently. Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights to Mekelle, Shire, and reportedly Axum.