Tigray forces have seized airports in northern Ethiopia as renewed fighting spreads into the neighbouring Afar region.
The clashes have increased fears of a wider conflict.
According to Africanews and AFP, fighting broke out late Tuesday between Tigray forces and federal troops in the Afar towns of Abala and Erebti.
Two humanitarian workers in the region reported the clashes. In addition, a foreign security source confirmed fighting in Abala.
Tigray forces seize airports
Tigray forces took control of airports in Mekelle and Shire, according to the report.
They also reportedly seized the airport in Axum.
As a result, Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights to all three cities.
An airport employee in Mekelle told AFP that staff were told to return home because Tigray forces had taken control of the airport and flights had stopped.
Fighting spreads into Afar
Meanwhile, clashes have spread beyond Tigray into the Afar region.
A former senior Tigray People’s Liberation Front official claimed Tigray forces controlled several towns in Afar.
However, AFP said it could not independently confirm the full claim.
The Tigray regional government said federal forces had carried out attacks using aircraft, drones and artillery.
It described its military response as defensive.
However, AFP could not independently verify the reported attacks.
At the time of the report, federal authorities had not publicly commented on the latest clashes.
Fears of renewed Ethiopia conflict grow
The latest fighting follows months of rising tension.
The TPLF and Ethiopia’s federal government fought a major war between 2020 and 2022.
The Pretoria Peace Agreement ended that conflict.
However, tensions later returned. Sporadic clashes and drone strikes have raised fears of another major conflict.
The situation became more tense after the TPLF joined a new alliance of armed groups opposed to the federal government.
Meanwhile, around one million people remain displaced from the previous war, according to the Africanews and AFP report.
The latest clashes have now raised fresh concerns over the future of the peace agreement and stability in northern Ethiopia.