Ethiopian Forces Seize Strategic Tigray Town as Conflict Widens Across the North

Ethiopian federal troops and their allied Tigrayan militia have taken control of Alamata, a key town in the country's war-torn northern region, marking a significant turn in a rapidly escalating conflict that threatens to undo a fragile peace agreement reached less than four years ago.

The Tigray Peace Force, an armed faction made up of Tigrayan fighters who have aligned themselves with the federal government in Addis Ababa, announced the capture in a statement circulated on Facebook. The group said its members had fought alongside the national army to secure the town, which lies roughly 120 kilometers (75 miles) south of Mekelle, the capital of the Tigray region. Reuters reported that video footage verified by the news agency showed armed men carrying Ethiopian flags moving through Alamata's streets, lending visual confirmation to the claim. Two diplomatic sources, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, also confirmed that the town had fallen, while a source connected to opposition forces acknowledged that their fighters were pulling back.

Alamata's importance goes well beyond its size. The town sits close to Tigray's southern boundary with the neighboring Amhara region and functions as a vital logistical node for the movement of soldiers, fuel and food. Analysts note that control of Alamata would give federal forces a foothold from which to advance northward toward Mekelle, potentially opening a corridor directly aimed at the regional capital. A military source told Al Jazeera that government troops had already pushed forward and were either approaching or encircling the city.

The latest bout of violence erupted last week when Tigrayan rebel forces, loyal to the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), launched a large-scale offensive. They seized three airports inside Tigray and advanced into the adjacent Afar and Amhara regions. The TPLF has characterized its campaign as a "defensive war," accusing federal forces of striking civilian areas with drones and heavy artillery. In response, the federal government and its allies have mounted counterattacks across multiple fronts.

The renewed hostilities have shattered the Pretoria Agreement, the November 2022 peace deal that ended a devastating two-year war. That earlier conflict, which raged from 2020 to 2022, is estimated to have killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions more. The collapse of the agreement has raised fears of a return to full-scale civil war, with diplomatic observers warning that the current trajectory could surpass the humanitarian catastrophe of the previous round.

Fighting is now spread across three regions: Tigray, Amhara and Afar. In Afar, TPLF forces over the weekend captured Erebti, a town of strategic value, according to an Ethiopian commander who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The Tigray Peace Force acknowledged that Erebti had fallen to the TPLF but disputed accounts that the takeover involved intense combat. The loss of Erebti is particularly concerning because Afar serves as a transit corridor for supplies moving from the port of Djibouti, through which the vast majority of Ethiopia's imports, including fuel, enter the country.

The situation in Afar has been further complicated by allegations of direct Eritrean military involvement. Al Jazeera's Taha Tawakul, reporting from the region, said the governor of Afar told the network that Eritrean forces were participating in the fighting, had taken control of more than two-thirds of the region and were maneuvering to sever the road connecting Djibouti and Eritrea. "The situation is, therefore, extremely dangerous, and perhaps in the coming hours, the federal government will intervene alongside the Afar regional government," Tawakul reported. The Eritrean government has not yet responded to the governor's claims, which, if verified, would represent a significant expansion of the conflict's cast of actors.

In Amhara, fighting has spread to areas including North Wollo. The Ethiopian military claimed that approximately 270 Tigrayan fighters were killed and more than 200 wounded in that zone alone. Such figures could not be independently verified, but they underscore the intensity of the clashes and the toll the renewed war is taking on combatants and civilians alike.

The humanitarian consequences are already severe. Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, reported on Monday a sharp surge in casualties arriving at medical facilities in the north. The number of patients at hospitals in Korem and Alamata jumped from about 180 to more than 420 within 48 hours. Separately, MSF said 300 wounded people had arrived at Suhul Hospital last week. Internet and telephone networks have been disrupted across Tigray, further hampering communication and relief efforts.

Displacement is mounting rapidly. Valerie Browning, cofounder of the Afar Pastoralist Development Association, told the Associated Press that approximately 150,000 people have been forced from their homes since the latest round of fighting began. Aid agencies warn that access to affected populations is becoming increasingly difficult as front lines shift and infrastructure deteriorates.

At the heart of the conflict is the long-running rivalry between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's federal government and the TPLF, which dominated Ethiopian politics for nearly three decades before Abiy took power in 2018. Tensions boiled over in November 2020 when war broke out between the two sides. The ensuing two-year conflict caused widespread destruction and drew in regional forces, including troops from Eritrea and Amhara militias. The Pretoria Agreement of November 2022 paused the fighting but left many underlying disputes unresolved, including the status of contested territories and the disarmament of various armed groups.

The capture of Alamata, combined with TPLF gains in Afar and ongoing clashes in Amhara, suggests the conflict is entering a new and more dangerous phase. A push toward Mekelle would likely trigger intense urban warfare and possibly a new wave of mass displacement. Meanwhile, any sustained disruption to the Djibouti corridor could cripple Ethiopia's economy, which relies heavily on that route for fuel and imported goods. Regional actors, including Eritrea, may be drawn further into the fray, raising the risk of a broader interstate confrontation.

With diplomatic efforts stalled and neither side showing willingness to return to the negotiating table, the coming days are likely to prove decisive. The international community, already stretched by multiple global crises, faces the prospect of another prolonged and deadly war in the Horn of Africa.