WorldEthiopia has expelled an Egyptian diplomat and severed diplomatic relations with Eritrea as fighting in the country’s north intensifies. Several explosions were reportedly heard across Addis Ababa overnight on Wednesday. An analyst says recent drone attacks targeting the capital led Ethiopia to cut ties with its neighbours.
WorldEthiopia and Eritrea have broken diplomatic ties, accusing each other of stoking internal conflicts.
PoliticsEthiopia says it will close its Asmara embassy and has expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats. It alleges that Eritrea has engaged in hostile acts and backed fighters in Ethiopia’s Tigray region; explosions were reported in Addis Ababa earlier Thursday.
WorldFighting is intensifying in northern Ethiopia while tensions with Eritrea are rising. As conflicts in the Horn of Africa increasingly intersect with battles reshaping the Middle East, the Red Sea’s role as one of the world’s key trade routes could draw the region into a wider crisis.
WorldAfter conflict spread in the Arabian Peninsula, the Horn of Africa is facing fears of a domino effect. Unresolved tensions between Ethiopia’s government and the Tigray region erupted last week, raising concern that a potential return to civil war could draw in regional rivals.
WorldEthiopian government-backed troops claim they have captured Alamata from rebel Tigray forces. Fighting has reportedly taken place on several fronts as the 2022 peace deal falters and the region remains in peril.
WorldEthiopia’s army says it controls Alamata in the northern Tigray region after fighting intensified with an alliance of armed groups. Fears are growing that the violence could return to full-scale civil war, following a previous two-year conflict estimated to have killed 600,000 people.
World4:11Ethiopian government forces have retaken Alamata, south of Tigray’s capital, after days of fighting with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. The clashes that erupted this month have raised fears of a broader conflict, following a civil war estimated to have killed 600,000 people.
WorldThe Ethiopian military and allied militia say they have captured Alamata, a strategic town south of Tigray’s capital, Mekelle. The claim reverses an offensive launched last week after a four-year peace deal collapsed.
Reuters
WorldEthiopia’s army says it has seized a key city in the northern Tigray region as fighting with local rebels escalates. The edition also reports that two mass shootings in South Africa killed at least 28 people, while Ugandan activist Praise Aloikin Opoloje faces court after reappearing following days of uncertainty over her whereabouts.
WorldEthiopian authorities accuse outside forces of supporting armed groups fighting government troops in the north. Heavy clashes between government forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front have been reported since last week, raising fears that the fighting could spread into a wider regional conflict.
WorldFighting in northern Ethiopia has entered a new and potentially critical phase. Federal forces reportedly seized Alamata in Tigray and are advancing towards the regional capital, Mekelle, while clashes continue in Amhara and Afar. Afar’s governor says Eritrean forces are involved and control more than two-thirds of the region.
WorldA drone strike damaged the building housing Tigrai TV in Mekelle, the capital of Ethiopia’s Tigray region, as fighting among Ethiopian forces, Tigrayan forces and allied armed groups intensifies. Tigrayan forces say they have seized airports and attacked neighbouring Afar and Amhara, while Ethiopia’s military says it killed more than 270 TPLF fighters in a counter-offensive.
WorldClashes involving forces in Ethiopia’s adjoining Tigray and Afar regions have grown more intense, with artillery fire reportedly heard along the front line.
CultureThousands of Ethiopian Orthodox Christians gathered Saturday in Addis Ababa for Meskel, filling Meskel Square with singing, prayer and religious processions before lighting the towering Demera bonfire.
The Associated Press
WorldInternet and phone services have been disrupted in Tigray after fighting erupted this week between regional forces and Ethiopia’s national army. Reuters sources say the Tigray People’s Liberation Front ordered the blackout, possibly to interfere with government drones. The TPLF has not commented.
BBC News
WorldFighting in Ethiopia appears to be intensifying. The TPLF said this week it was in a “full-blown” war with federal forces, days after Tigrayan rebels announced an alliance with six other armed groups whose stated aim is to overthrow Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government. On Friday, another armed group appeared to claim it had joined the alliance.
WorldFighting continues between Ethiopian forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front, while fears of the conflict spilling across the region continue to grow.
WorldFighting in Ethiopia’s Tigray region has led to a complete cut in services from state-owned operator Ethio Telecom, while the smaller private provider Safaricom remains operational. Internet monitor NetBlocks said network data showed a sub-national shutdown in northern Tigray. Clashes involving Tigrayan forces, allies and federal troops have heightened tensions and prompted reports of panic buying.
BBC News
WorldFighting is intensifying in Ethiopia after Tigrayan fighters launched an overnight attack on the northern town of Abala, following an offensive against the Amhara region. Federal forces say they repelled both attacks. Martin Plaut of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies offers analysis.
WorldTigray’s rebel authorities say they are in a “full-blown war” with Ethiopia’s government as fighting reaches the neighbouring Amhara and Afar regions. The federal army says 272 rebels were killed and 260 wounded in the north. Political analyst Jervin Naidoo assesses the escalation and its causes.
WorldThe Tigray People's Liberation Front says it is engaged in a “full-blown war” with Ethiopia’s federal government after taking key airports and attacking the neighbouring Amhara and Afar regions. The escalation follows the TPLF’s alliance with six other armed groups, reviving fears of a return to the devastating 2020–2022 conflict that killed at least 600,000 people.
WorldFighting is intensifying in northern Ethiopia, fuelling fears that the country could be sliding back into civil war. The army says it killed 272 TPLF fighters in Amhara, while the rebels call the conflict a “full-blown war”. The escalation follows the TPLF’s alliance with six other armed groups.
WorldEthiopia’s military says it killed more than 270 Tigrayan fighters during a counter-offensive in the Amhara region. Tigrayan forces say they are now in a “full-blown war” with the federal government, fuelling fears that civil war could return. Fighting between Tigrayan forces and the army killed about 600,000 people from 2020 to 2022.