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Airstrikes and artillery fire have hit Ethiopia’s Tigray region, killing at least 17 people as fighting escalates. The attacks occurred overnight into Monday morning, nearly two weeks after clashes began between national and rebel forces.
According to a humanitarian bulletin, airstrikes killed at least nine people in Adwa and eight others were killed in Sheraro, both in northern Tigray.
The bulletin said government forces also exchanged heavy artillery fire with Tigrayan fighters. The clashes occurred near the Tekeze River, close to Mai Tsebri, on Monday morning.
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The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) is part of a rebel alliance seeking to overthrow Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government. However, Reuters could not independently verify the reports.
Spokespeople for Abiy’s office, Ethiopia’s forces and the TPLF did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The latest violence has raised fears of a wider conflict in the Horn of Africa; the fighting, which began on September 23, is the worst escalation in Tigray since the 2020–2022 civil war.
That conflict killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions, and the national forces captured Mekelle during the earlier war before the TPLF later retook the city.
This time, Ethiopian forces took control of Mekelle over the weekend; residents said daily life has begun to return to normal, with shops reopening and phone and internet services also gradually returning after a week-long disruption.
The latest fighting has also increased concerns about Ethiopia’s relations with neighbouring Eritrea.
Ethiopia has accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of supporting armed opposition groups. All three countries have denied the allegations.
Last week, Ethiopia and Eritrea severed diplomatic ties after tensions between the two countries intensified. Eritrean forces supported Ethiopia’s government during the 2020–2022 Tigray war. Relations have since deteriorated, partly over Ethiopia’s push for Red Sea access.
Eritrea has expressed fears that Ethiopia could attempt to seize its Assab port by force. However, Prime Minister Abiy has said Ethiopia wants to secure sea access through peaceful means.
The United States (US) has also warned Ethiopia and Eritrea against further escalation. On Saturday, the US State Department urged both countries to exercise restraint. It warned that a new conflict could damage US cooperation with both governments.
