Africa23 September, 20262 min read
US Ambassador Condemns TPLF After Tigray Forces Seize Airports And Launch Offensives
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
TPLF seized Mekelle airports and launched offensives against federal forces in Afar and Amhara. US Ambassador Massinga warned the TPLF against continuing large-scale military operations.
Airports seized, flights halted
Tigray forces seized control of federally administered airports in the Tigray region and launched offensives in neighbouring Afar and Amhara, according to Getachew Reda, an adviser to Ethiopia's prime minister. Ethiopian Airlines cancelled all flights to Tigray after the seizure of the airports, and residents of Mekelle told the BBC that local forces took over control of the city's airport from the national police early on Wednesday. The Tigray regional authorities said their forces had been forced to enter a "defensive war," after reports of drone strikes in Tigray in recent days.
The escalation followed the TPLF's Sunday announcement that it had allied with six other armed groups in Ethiopia to remove the government in Addis Ababa. The US ambassador to Ethiopia condemned the TPLF for making "the poor decision to launch a large-scale offensive," describing it as an "unwinnable fight."
Competing narratives and strikes
Getachew Reda said the TPLF had "launched an all-out offensive against government positions in Afar and Amhara" early on Wednesday, and he added that the TPLF had "taken over federally controlled airports in Tigray" leading to flight suspensions. The Tigray regional government accused federal troops of "intensive bombardments" on Tuesday involving "aircraft, drones, and artillery," and it said its forces were entering a defensive battle. The Washington Post reported that the Tigray Army said it was responding to a "full-scale offensive along multiple fronts" by the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed involving "infantry, mechanized units, drones and air force assets."
The Washington Post also quoted the government accusing the TPLF of launching an "all out offensive" against government positions in Afar and Amhara. Hassan Khannenje, director of the HORN International Institute for Strategic Studies in Nairobi, said, "We are pretty much back into post-Pretoria war mode."
Regional risk and humanitarian strain
The renewed fighting raised fears that northern Ethiopia could once again descend into a wider war, while communities in Tigray and neighbouring regions were still recovering from humanitarian losses and destruction caused by the 2020–2022 conflict, according to Dawan Africa. Alan Boswell, Horn of Africa director at the International Crisis Group, warned that allegations of Eritrea's backing of the TPLF could trigger a regional conflict, saying, "Eritrea is also quite close, for instance, with the Sudanese army". Boswell added that Ethiopia's involvement in the civil war in Sudan could make the situation "one big regional mess" and said it could get "very, very ugly if we don’t see de-escalation."
The BBC reported that the African Union's mediator estimated some 600,000 people died in the two-year war in Tigray, and it said the conflict drove the region to the precipice of famine. The BBC also reported that Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, chairperson of the Africa Union Commission, called for an "immediate de-escalation" and for both sides to resume talks.