Multiple sources told AFP that Tigrayan forces had attacked federal positions in Afar as long-standing tensions in northern Ethiopia once again spilled into conflict.
In a statement posted on Facebook, the Tigray regional government said it was responding to “intensive bombardments” by federal forces on Tuesday, involving “aircraft, drones, and artillery”.
The Tigray army “has been instructed to counter the attack and genocidal invasion launched against us, and has entered into a defensive battle,” the Tigray government said.
Federal authorities in Addis Ababa had yet to comment on the clashes.
The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) fought a devastating civil war with the federal government in 2020-2022 that killed some 600,000 people, according to African Union estimates.
A former TPLF leader, Getachew Reda, who fell out with the party after the last war and joined the federal government, said the new fighting was “heartbreaking”.
“The TPLF leadership early in the morning today launched an all out offensive against government positions in Afar and Amhara,” Getachew wrote on X.
AFP could not independently verify the fighting in Amhara.
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