Ethiopian Airlines has suspended flights to Ethiopia’s northernmost Tigray region following renewed conflict between Tigray Defense Force (TDF) and Ethiopia’s federal government, APA can report on Thursday.
The fighting has triggered the suspension of flights, security and diplomatic sources told the AFP news agency on Thursday and hence Mekelle, Axum, Shire and Humera airports in the region are not providing services.
The region was at the epicenter of a two-year conflict between Ethiopian federal government-allied troops and forces loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front since November 2020, which according to the AU had left nearly a million people dead.
According to information reaching APA, TDF has taken control of some districts since the fighting began last Monday after government troops began retreating from disputed areas between the Tigray and Amhara regions.
The federal and Tigray forces signed a peace accord in Pretoria in November 2022, bringing an end to hostilities between them.
Currently a full-fledged war is going on between government forces and TDF in Tsemlet, one of the disputed areas between the two neighboring regions.
According to diplomatic and security sources, Tigrayan forces are currently facing a combined offensive from the ENDF and Amhara militias. The involvement of federal troops alongside regional militias marks a significant departure from the localized skirmishes seen throughout 2025.
While no official trigger has been confirmed by the government in Addis Ababa, the fighting follows months of “stalled implementation” regarding the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to the Wolkaite, the other disputed areas between Amhara and Tigray regions.
MG/abj/APA