Fighting between Ethiopian federal forces and Tigrayan fighters has spread across northern Ethiopia. Civilians have died, public facilities have sustained damage, and wounded people can’t reach medical care. Renewed clashes are also putting the constitutional authority and political arrangements set out in the Pretoria Agreement under fresh strain.
Civilians Caught in the Fighting
A senior health worker at Aydar Referral Hospital, Mekelle’s biggest medical facility, said the hospital had received 44 critically injured civilians, including 33 children, wounded by shelling in Maychew and Alamata between Saturday and Monday. “Some are blinded, some have their legs and hands amputated from the bombing,” the health worker said. At least four people died on the way to the hospital, the worker added.
A 22-year-old woman from Selenwuha told Deutsche Welle that heavy-weapon shelling hit relatives sheltering at home. “I have lost six family members,” she said. Survivors, including wounded people, remain confined to their homes, she said, with no access to medical facilities or vehicles and the nearest treatment center far away. They can’t get help.
Residents also reported violence near the Tigray-Amhara border. A 45-year-old resident said an attack took place as a market opened, “when large numbers of people would be gathered there.” He said 11 people were killed and 15 wounded at the Saturday market in Alamata. DW said it couldn’t independently verify the claims, and an Ethiopian National Defense Force spokesperson hadn’t responded to its request for comment by publication.
Local sources reported serious damage to hospitals, schools and religious institutions. Amdegebreal Admassu, an Ethiopian lawyer focused on political and legal affairs, said public facilities that also serve as shelters were accidentally hit or deliberately targeted. “Under both international law and our country's penal code, such actions are classified as war crimes,” he said. Mebrihi Birhane, vice director for the NGO Human Rights First Ethiopia, said all armed forces involved must provide access to essential services during war.
The Federal Framework Under Pressure
Pro-government forces said they took Alamata on September 27. The U.S.-based Armed Conflict Location & Event Data also recorded the purported takeover. The town lies about 120 kilometers south of Mekelle on a major highway. Government forces appeared to be pushing north toward the regional capital, while reports said Tigrayan forces were defending Mekoni and Maychew. The overall military situation remained difficult to assess: reports said both federal and rebel forces were making advances.
Tigrayan fighters took control of Mekelle’s main airport on September 23 and clashed with federal forces in Afar and Amhara. Other accounts said Tigrayan forces seized airports in Mekele, Aksum and Shire. The federal government and Tigrayan forces each accused the other of starting the escalation and described their own actions as defensive. Federal forces responded with drone strikes and ground operations.
The Pretoria Agreement, signed under African Union mediation on November 2, 2022, called for disarmament, respect for the federal government’s constitutional authority, Tigray’s representation in both houses of parliament and an inclusive interim regional administration. Key provisions remain unimplemented. Disputes continue over contested territories, displaced people’s return and the full demobilization of Tigrayan forces. Abiy appointed successive heads of the interim administration, and Tigray’s reintegration into federal institutions remains incomplete.
Alliance and Calls for Talks
The TPLF joined a coalition of seven armed groups announced on September 20 and formally named the Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival on September 25. The alliance declared removing the government in Addis Ababa as its objective. Its stated minimum program includes removing Abiy’s government, establishing an inclusive transitional administration and undertaking constitutional reform. The Amhara Fano National Movement joined after previously fighting alongside federal forces against the TPLF and later turning against the federal government. Some alliance members have limited military capacity, and disagreements remain over territory and political aims.
Pope Leo XIV urged parties to “choose the path of dialogue” and called on the international community to provide timely humanitarian aid. On September 22, African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf urged restraint and a return to direct talks. Meanwhile, reports said goods prices were rising as supply routes were disrupted, while further electricity and communications disruptions were feared. The immediate toll is clear: civilians are injured, services are interrupted, and central provisions of the political settlement remain unfinished.