Nairobi: The government of Ethiopia’s Tigray region said on Wednesday that its fighters had entered what it called a defensive war against federal troops, as tensions between the regional authorities and the federal government reached a new level.
The announcement came hours after Tigrayan forces reportedly took control of Alula Aba Nega International Airport in Mekelle, the capital of Tigray, according to local and security sources.
Three local sources, including a security source, told Reuters that Tigrayan forces had taken control of the airport from federal police overnight. An airport employee also said staff were told to return home after being informed that the airport had been taken over.
The reported airport takeover was followed by a decision by Ethiopian Airlines to suspend flights to three airports in Tigray. The state owned airline said flights to Mekelle, Axum and Shire had been halted because of the current situation in the region.
Reuters could not immediately confirm the situation in Axum and Shire.
The airline did not provide further details or say when flights would resume. The suspension came as concerns grew over a wider escalation in Tigray.
The Tigray authorities have described their military actions as defensive. However, it remains unclear who initiated the latest fighting. There was no immediate response from the Ethiopian federal government to the latest developments.
The latest escalation follows months of worsening relations between the federal government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front, or TPLF, which controls the regional administration.
The TPLF and the federal government fought a devastating war from 2020 to 2022. The conflict ended with the signing of the Pretoria Agreement in November 2022.
The peace agreement ended large scale fighting, but its implementation has remained incomplete. Both sides have accused each other of violating the agreement.
In May, the TPLF took control of Tigray's regional government from the interim administration established under the peace agreement.
The latest developments also follow the formation of a new alliance between the TPLF and six other Ethiopian armed opposition groups. The groups announced the alliance on Sunday and said they wanted to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his government.
The seven groups are the Amhara Fano National Movement, the Oromo Liberation Army, the Tigray People's Liberation Front, the Ogaden National Liberation Front, the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front, the Benishangul Peoples' Liberation Movement and the Gumuz Peoples' Democratic Movement.
TPLF spokesman Michael Asgedom said the cooperation between the groups was political and military. He also said the 2022 peace agreement was no longer valid. The extent of actual military coordination between the groups remains unclear.
The new alliance has added to concerns about Ethiopia's wider security situation. The country has also faced armed conflicts in regions including Amhara and Oromia.
Relations between Ethiopia and neighbouring Eritrea have also deteriorated. Ethiopian officials have accused Eritrea of supporting armed groups inside Ethiopia, while Eritrea has repeatedly denied such accusations.
There has been no independent confirmation that Eritrean forces are directly involved in the latest fighting in Tigray.
The United Nations has previously called on all sides to exercise restraint, resolve differences through dialogue and implement the 2022 peace agreement.
The previous Tigray war caused widespread deaths and displacement. An estimate cited by the African Union put the death toll at about 600,000. Large numbers of people also remain displaced from the region.
The latest developments have not yet produced a reliable figure for casualties from the current escalation. There is also no independent confirmation of the extent of fighting in other parts of Tigray.
The reported takeover of Mekelle airport and the suspension of flights to Mekelle, Axum and Shire are the clearest signs so far of the worsening security situation. Further developments are expected to determine the scale and direction of the latest confrontation.