Fighting spreads across northern Ethiopia as army claims Tigrayan town

Renewed fighting has spread across northern Ethiopia, with the federal army and allied forces claiming control of Alamata in Tigray after clashes that a hospital doctor said killed at least 52 civilians.

The medic told the BBC that heavy explosives and artillery struck residential areas during three days of fighting around Alamata, with children, mothers and cattle herders among those killed. Médecins Sans Frontières said hospitals it supports in Tigray had admitted more than 700 wounded people in recent days.

Tigrayan forces seized three regional airports and launched operations into neighboring Afar and Amhara, according to multiple reports. Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights to Tigray, while fighting near Lalibela closed its airport and stranded tourists. The Ethiopian military said it had repelled attacks and killed, wounded or captured more than 500 opposing fighters; the claim could not be independently verified.

Both sides accuse the other of initiating the escalation and violating the 2022 Pretoria agreement, which ended a two-year war that killed hundreds of thousands of people. Tigrayan leaders described their campaign as defensive, while the federal government said the Tigray People’s Liberation Front attacked first.

The clashes followed the TPLF’s formation of a seven-member alliance with armed groups including the Fano militia, with the stated aim of removing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government. Addis Ababa has accused Eritrea and Sudan of supporting Tigrayan forces. Eritrea has denied backing Ethiopian armed groups.