# Ethiopia and Tigray edge toward new war

> Mutual accusations of military offensives raise fears that a devastating conflict that killed hundreds of thousands could reignite.
- Title: Ethiopia and Tigray edge toward new war · BBC News | Shortify
- Summary: Mutual accusations of military offensives raise fears that a devastating conflict that killed hundreds of thousands could reignite. Ethiopia's government and…
- Keywords: ethiopia, tigray, tplf, conflict, military offensive, addis ababa, mekelle, pretoria agreement, african union, news, world, edge
- Source: BBC News — https://bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cry8zwwq21pxo
- Published: 2026-09-23T11:42:52.63+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: ethiopia, tigray, tplf, conflict, military offensive, addis ababa, mekelle, pretoria agreement, african union, news, world
## Government accuses Tigray of offensive
Getachew Reda, adviser to Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, says Tigrayan fighters took control of federal airports and launched offensives in neighbouring regions.
## Tigray says it entered defensive war
Tigrayan authorities say their forces were forced into defensive war following reports of drone strikes in Tigray.
## The previous war killed six hundred thousand
The two-year conflict ended in twenty twenty-two. The African Union estimated six hundred thousand people died as fighting drove the region toward famine.
## TPLF forms alliance with six rebel groups
On Sunday, the Tigray People's Liberation Front announced an alliance with six other armed groups in Ethiopia to remove the government in Addis Ababa.
## Airlines cancel flights to Tigray
Following the seizure of airports, Ethiopian Airlines has cancelled all flights to Tigray. Residents of Mekelle took control of the city's airport from national police on Wednesday.
## Mekelle calm but people in distress
A resident named Fitsum told the BBC the city is quiet with no clashes, but people are stressed. The government has denied budgets to civil servants for seven or eight months.

> Mekelle is calm, except the stress from the people.
## Strikes kill fourteen in Alamata
On Tuesday, more than five drones and one fighter jet struck the southern town of Alamata, killing at least fourteen people and injuring twenty-two. Mayor Mogos Shiferaw said all casualties were civilians.
## US condemns TPLF offensive as unwinnable
The US ambassador to Ethiopia condemned the TPLF for launching a large-scale offensive, calling it an unwinnable fight. The US State Department also condemned a separate strike on Catholic aid vehicles.
## Both sides blamed for breaking peace deal
Addis Ababa and the TPLF have both faced criticism for delays in implementing the Pretoria Agreement, the African Union-brokered deal that formally ended the conflict in November twenty twenty-two.
## African Union calls for immediate de-escalation
The chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, has called for immediate de-escalation and for both sides to resume talks.
## Key takeaway

Ethiopia's government and Tigray's ruling party have accused each other of launching offensives, escalating fears of renewed conflict four years after a war that killed an estimated six hundred thousand people.