# Ethiopia's army claims it repelled Tigray attacks

> Fighting has broken out again between federal forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front, raising fears of a return to devastating civil war.
- Title: Ethiopia's army claims it repelled Tigray attacks · BBC News
- Summary: Fighting has broken out again between federal forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front, raising fears of a return to devastating civil war. Ethiopia's…
- Keywords: ethiopia, tigray, tigray people's liberation front, prime minister abiy ahmed, civil war, amhara region, afar region, mekelle, news, world, Ethiopia's, army
- Source: BBC News — https://bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqevwm09w4xmo
- Published: 2026-09-24T12:49:32.654+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: ethiopia, tigray, tigray people's liberation front, prime minister abiy ahmed, civil war, amhara region, afar region, mekelle, news, world
## Army claims it repelled attacks
Ethiopia's army says it has repelled attacks from Tigrayan forces and their allies in the north, in its first statement since fighting broke out on Wednesday.
## Fighting started in Amhara region
The army said hostilities began in an area of Amhara region close to the border with Tigray, and that its soldiers had inflicted heavy casualties and seized weapons.
## TPLF seized three airports
On Wednesday, the Tigray People's Liberation Front, which dominates the region, seized control of three airports from federal police.
## Tensions escalate after years of peace
The latest escalation follows months of rising tensions between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government and Tigray authorities, who fought a devastating war from two thousand twenty to two thousand twenty-two.
## Previous war killed six hundred thousand
The two thousand twenty to two thousand twenty-two conflict was one of the most deadly this century. The African Union's mediator estimated some six hundred thousand people died as fighting drove the region to the precipice of famine.
## Mekelle residents fear economic collapse
A Mekelle resident told the BBC that the biggest problem was economic, with people not having enough cash. He said people were in grave danger because there is almost no cash and communications could be cut off.

> people are going to be in grave danger because there is almost no cash
## Key takeaway

Ethiopia's army says it repelled attacks from Tigrayan forces in the north on Wednesday, marking the first fighting since a two thousand twenty to two thousand twenty-two civil war that killed an estimated six hundred thousand people.