Fighting Intensifies in Ethiopia as Government Allies Claim Key Town

Fighting has intensified across northern Ethiopia as forces aligned with the federal government and their allies claim to have captured the strategic town of Alamata.

The latest clashes involve forces loyal to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and its allies.

According to reports, fighting has spread across parts of Tigray, Amhara and Afar regions, raising fresh concerns over the future of the Pretoria Agreement that ended the previous Tigray war in November 2022.

The Tigray Peace Force, a group of Tigrayan fighters aligned with the federal government, said its forces and Ethiopia’s federal army captured Alamata on Monday.

Reuters verified footage showing soldiers carrying Ethiopian flags in the town, although it could not independently establish the identity of all the armed men shown.

Two diplomatic sources also told Reuters that Alamata had fallen, while a source linked to opposition forces said fighters had withdrawn.

Alamata is located about 120km south of Tigray’s capital, Mekelle, near the border with Amhara. The town is also considered an important supply hub for troops, fuel and food.

Fighting Spreads Across Regions

The latest escalation began last week after Tigrayan forces launched an offensive, reportedly seizing three airports in Tigray and advancing into parts of Afar and Amhara.

The TPLF has described its campaign as a “defensive war” and accused federal forces of using drones and heavy artillery.

Government forces and their allies have responded with counterattacks.

A drone strike on Sunday hit the headquarters of Tigrai TV in Mekelle, while a military source told Al Jazeera that federal forces were advancing towards or surrounding the regional capital.

In Afar, TPLF forces reportedly captured the strategically important town of Erebti over the weekend.

An Ethiopian commander told the Associated Press that the town had been taken, while the Tigray Peace Force also acknowledged its capture.

The Afar region is strategically important because it contains major transport routes linking Ethiopia to Djibouti, through which much of Ethiopia’s imports, including fuel, enter the country.

Eritrea Accused of Involvement

The renewed fighting has also triggered allegations of foreign involvement.

The governor of Afar accused Eritrean forces of participating in the conflict and alleged that they controlled large parts of the region.

Ethiopia’s army chief, Field Marshal Berhanu Jula, has also accused Eritrea of supporting opposition forces and alleged assistance from Sudan and Egypt.

Sudan and Eritrea have denied the allegations, while Egypt has rejected suggestions that it is interfering in the conflict.

Casualties and Displacement Rise

The Ethiopian military said about 270 Tigrayan fighters had been killed and more than 200 wounded in fighting in parts of Amhara. The figures have not been independently verified.

Medical organisations have reported a sharp increase in casualties.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said the number of patients at hospitals in Korem and Alamata increased from about 180 to more than 420 within 48 hours.

MSF also reported that 300 wounded people arrived at Suhul Hospital last week.

Communications, including internet and telephone services, have also been disrupted in parts of Tigray.

The renewed fighting has displaced thousands of people. Valerie Browning, co-founder of the Afar Pastoralist Development Association, told the Associated Press that about 150,000 people had been displaced since the latest clashes began.

Fears of Another Major Conflict

The latest escalation has revived fears of another major conflict in northern Ethiopia.

The previous Tigray war began in November 2020 and ended two years later with the Pretoria Agreement.

African Union mediator and former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo previously estimated that about 600,000 people died during the conflict, although other estimates have differed.

The TPLF also recently joined six other armed groups to form the Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival.

The alliance says it seeks to remove Abiy’s government and establish a transitional administration. Its members include the Oromo Liberation Army and the Amhara Fano National Movement.

The latest fighting threatens to deepen instability across northern Ethiopia and has raised renewed concerns about the involvement of neighbouring countries.