Fighting has intensified across northern Ethiopia after government forces and allied militias retook the strategic town of Alamata in southern Tigray, as clashes between federal forces and Tigrayan fighters threaten to widen the conflict and undermine a fragile peace agreement.
Pro government forces said Monday that they had captured Alamata following days of fighting with forces aligned with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). Reuters reported that video showing soldiers in the town was verified, while two diplomatic sources confirmed that Alamata had fallen. A source linked to opposition forces also said fighters were withdrawing from the town.
Alamata, located about 120 kilometres south of Tigray’s regional capital, Mekelle, is an important supply and transport hub near the border with the neighbouring Amhara region. The town changed hands several times during Ethiopia’s 2020 to 2022 civil war, which ended with the Pretoria peace agreement.
The latest fighting began last week and has spread across Tigray, Amhara and Afar. The TPLF launched attacks into neighbouring regions, while government forces have mounted counteroffensives. In Afar, Tigrayan forces captured Erebti and advanced eastward, in an area important to Ethiopia’s trade routes because much of the country’s imported cargo passes through neighbouring Djibouti.
The fighting has also reached parts of Amhara, where Tigrayan forces have been operating alongside the Fano militia. Clashes have been reported around areas including Lalibela, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The renewed conflict has raised concerns that the four year old peace arrangement could collapse completely. The 2022 agreement ended a devastating two year war between federal forces and the TPLF, but tensions have persisted over political control, territorial disputes and the implementation of the peace settlement.
Humanitarian conditions are also deteriorating. Médecins Sans Frontières reported a sharp increase in war wounded arriving at hospitals in Korem and Alamata, while the International Committee of the Red Cross evacuated 161 people from Mekelle to Semera, including African Union monitors, federal police personnel, Ethiopian Airlines employees and Red Cross staff.
Telecommunications networks have remained disrupted in much of Tigray, making it difficult to independently verify developments and leaving residents struggling to contact relatives and access information. The renewed violence also comes as the region continues to recover from the previous war and faces additional humanitarian pressures, including drought.
The conflict is also drawing wider regional attention. Ethiopia’s military leadership has accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of supporting Tigrayan forces, allegations the countries have rejected. The African Union and other international actors have called for de escalation and a return to dialogue.
The latest escalation threatens to further disrupt trade, humanitarian access, health services and livelihoods across northern Ethiopia. Continued fighting could also increase displacement and place additional pressure on communities that have yet to recover from the previous conflict.
With government forces now controlling Alamata, fighting continues on several fronts as both sides seek to consolidate their positions and the international community presses for a renewed political process.
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