Archive · 24 Sep 2026
Ethiopia Fighting Expands, Suspending Flights to Historic Lalibela
Fighting has started again in northern Ethiopia after a peace deal ended an earlier war.
Tigrayan forces attacked areas in the Afar and Amhara regions and seized three airports.
Flights to the historic town of Lalibela were stopped because fighting was happening nearby.
People in Tigray are buying food and taking out money because they fear another long conflict.
Some residents said shops were running out of food and medicines.
Ethiopia’s army said it defeated the attacks and gave numbers for enemy casualties, but those numbers could not be independently checked.
Tigrayan leaders said they were defending themselves against attacks by the federal government.
International groups are asking both sides to stop fighting and return to negotiations.
A new war could make problems across the Horn of Africa worse.
Flights to Lalibela were suspended as fighting intensified near the historic town in Ethiopia’s Amhara region.
Tigrayan forces seized three local airports and launched attacks in Afar and Amhara regions with allied groups.
Ethiopia’s army said it repelled the offensive, reporting 272 attackers killed and 260 wounded; Reuters could not verify the figures.
The Tigray People’s Liberation Front said it was acting defensively against federal government attacks involving drones, artillery and ground troops.
The United Nations and European Union urged restraint and a return to the African Union-backed peace process.
- Who
- The Ethiopian federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, along with allied armed groups, are involved in the fighting.
- What
- Tigrayan forces launched attacks, seized three local airports, and prompted the suspension of flights to Lalibela.
- When
- The escalation was reported on Thursday, September 24, after attacks during the same week.
- Where
- The fighting was reported in and around Ethiopia’s Tigray, Afar and Amhara regions, including near Lalibela.
- Why
- The government says the TPLF launched a premeditated offensive, while the TPLF says it is defending Tigray against federal government aggression.
Ethiopian Federal Government
Tigray People’s Liberation Front
Cause of the escalation
Ethiopian Federal Government
The government says the TPLF launched a major, premeditated assault on civilian infrastructure and says dialogue remains possible for groups that lay down their arms.
Tigray People’s Liberation Front
The TPLF says it entered a defensive war to counter aggression by the federal government.
Military actions
Ethiopian Federal Government
Ethiopia’s army says it repelled the offensive, with the reported deaths and injuries among attacking forces not independently verified.
Tigray People’s Liberation Front
The TPLF says federal forces used ground troops, warplanes, drones and artillery against Tigray.
Path forward
Ethiopian Federal Government
The government says the door to dialogue remains open if armed groups surrender.
Tigray People’s Liberation Front
The TPLF and its allies have formed an alliance aimed at overthrowing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, while international actors are urging a return to negotiations.
- Affected flight route
- Flights to Lalibela were suspended on Thursday.
- Reported airport seizures
- Tigrayan forces seized three local airports.
- Government casualty claim
- Ethiopia’s army reported 272 attackers killed and 260 wounded.
- Verification status
- Reuters was unable to independently verify the military casualty figures.
- International response
- The United Nations and European Union called for restraint and de-escalation.
- Previous conflict
- The earlier Tigray war lasted from 2020 to 2022 and killed hundreds of thousands of people.
- Lalibela significance
- Lalibela is a UNESCO-listed town known for medieval rock-hewn churches.