Fighting in Ethiopia intensifies: What’s the latest?

What the report says

Al Jazeera reported on September 29, 2026, that fighting has escalated across northern Ethiopia, with government forces and allied fighters saying they captured the strategic town of Alamata in Tigray. The town lies south of Mekelle, the regional capital, and its control could improve the federal side’s ability to move north. The report said the Tigray Peace Force, a pro-government group of Tigrayan fighters, announced the takeover, while Reuters video and diplomatic sources appeared to support that account.

The renewed clashes follow a major offensive by Tigrayan rebel forces last week, when they said they seized three airports in Tigray and advanced into Afar and Amhara. Al Jazeera said the fighting has spread across several fronts, with each side accusing the other of using drones, artillery and other attacks. The report also noted damage to Tigrai TV in Mekelle and described Erebti in Afar as another contested area.

The article said the clashes are worsening an already serious humanitarian situation. MSF reported a sharp rise in wounded patients in hospitals in Korem, Alamata and Suhul, while communications have been disrupted in Tigray. AP cited an estimate that about 150,000 people have been displaced since the latest fighting began.

Al Jazeera placed the violence in the wider context of Ethiopia’s conflict between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and the TPLF, which led the country’s politics for decades and fought a devastating war from 2020 to 2022. The latest hostilities also raise concerns that neighboring countries could become more involved, with Ethiopia’s military accusing Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of backing opposition forces; those governments have denied the allegations.