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Renewed Conflict Between Ethiopian Federal Forces and Tigrayan Rebels

What happened

Fighting between Ethiopian federal forces and Tigrayan rebels resumed on September 23, 2026, marking a significant escalation in violence since the conclusion of the 2020-2022 civil war.

Ethiopian federal military forces have recaptured the Alula Aba Nega Airport in Mekelle, the capital of the Tigray region.

The Ethiopian government has accused Sudan, Egypt, and Eritrea of supporting the rebel alliance, allegations which those countries have denied.

Why it matters

The resumption of hostilities has shattered the 2022 peace agreement and raised concerns among international observers that the conflict could destabilize the broader Horn of Africa region.

Context

Abiy Ahmed has served as Ethiopia's Prime Minister since 2018 and received the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to resolve the border conflict with Eritrea.

Isaias Afwerki has been the president of Eritrea since the country's independence from Ethiopia in 1993, following a period of conflict that included a border war between 1998 and 2000.

In 2018, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and President Isaias Afwerki signed a peace framework that formally ended the state of war between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Sources 7 sources

This briefing cites 5 publishers across 5 detected independent reporting streams. Some cited articles appear to be syndicated or near-duplicate coverage, so they are not counted as separate corroboration.