Fighting broke out across northern Ethiopia on the evening of Tuesday, September 22, after months of growing tension between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and a powerful political and military group called the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
Tigrayan forces, together with allied armed groups from nearby regions, launched a coordinated attack across three areas: Tigray, Afar, and Amhara. The fighting began just two days after several opposition groups announced they were joining forces to try to remove Abiy from power and set up a new government.
On Wednesday, the African Union and the European Union both urged all sides to calm down immediately. But the fighting has continued. Tigrayan forces took control of the main airport in Makalé, the capital of Tigray, as well as airports in Aksoum and Shiré. Ethiopian Airlines has suspended all flights to those cities.
In the Amhara region, a militia group called the Fano, which has been fighting the government since April 2023, has surrounded the city of Weldiya. The Fano are now working with the TPLF, even though the two groups fought against each other in the past. A Fano official says 225 government soldiers have been arrested.
The TPLF hopes that by joining forces with other experienced opposition groups, it can march on the capital, Addis Ababa, and overthrow Abiy. But experts say this is unlikely. Without control of the skies, the coalition would struggle to defeat the government, which can use drone strikes. There are also disagreements within the alliance, including disputes over land between two of its members, which could weaken it.
Reference
Le Monde, “En Ethiopie, après le déclenchement d’offensives par plusieurs groupes rebelles, le pays au bord de la ‘guerre totale,’” published September 24, 2026. https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2026/09/24/en-ethiopie-apres-le-declenchement-d-offensives-par-plusieurs-groupes-rebelles-le-pays-au-bord-de-la-guerre-totale_6781485_3212.html