Ethiopia accuses Eritrea, Sudan of backing Tigray rebels amid clashes

What the report says

Ethiopia’s army chief has accused Eritrea and Sudan of supporting armed groups fighting federal forces as clashes with Tigrayan rebels intensified, according to France 24 Africa. The fighting involves the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, which said it is carrying out a “defensive war” and has claimed control of airports, while a humanitarian source said rebels also captured the northern Afar town of Erebti after heavy shelling.

The renewed violence, which France 24 said escalated during the week, has raised fears of a return to Ethiopia’s 2020-2022 civil war. The report says the conflict is spreading beyond Tigray into Afar and Amhara, with displacement growing and communications disrupted. It also noted that the federal government has used drones and that a drone strike hit the Tigrai TV headquarters in Mekelle, though no immediate casualty report was available.

Army chief Field Marshal Birhanu Jula said the fighting is linked to outside backing, naming Eritrea and Sudan and also referring more broadly to other regional powers. The TPLF, meanwhile, has portrayed its actions as defensive and the report said it appears to be using tactics similar to those seen in the earlier war. The article adds broader context that the 2022 Pretoria peace deal eased but did not fully end tensions, leaving unresolved grievances and large numbers of displaced people.