Fighting spreads in northern Ethiopia, civilians caught in crossfire

As fighting keeps spreading across northern Ethiopia, civilians find themselves caught in the crossfire between opposing forces. Little information is emerging from the affected area as the internet and other communication services remain largely disrupted.

However, DW managed to speak to eyewitnesses whose accounts point to a growing toll on civilians.

A 22-year-old woman from the small town of Selenwuha told DW that her relatives were sheltering at home when heavy weaponry shelling struck their residences.

"I have lost six family members," she said. "Those who survived the attack, including the wounded, are currently confined to their homes.

"They have no access to medical facilities or vehicles, and the nearest treatment center is far away."

Strategic town of Alamata reported taken by ENDF

According to local residents, several violent incidents took place in recent days, especially in the border region between the Tigray and Amhara regions, with multiple further reports of civilians being killed by artillery fire.

The overall strategic situation on the ground meanwhile remains difficult to assess, with both rebel and federal forces reportedly making advances in different areas.

DW heard from a source in Tigray that the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) keeps advancing towards the regional capital Mekelle. The ENDDF is the country's official military force.

Tigrayan forces are reportedly fighting to defend other towns, including Mekoni and Maychew in southern Tigray, the source told DW on the strict condition of anonymity.

Pro-government militia and affiliated media outlets in the country had reported earlier that the ENDF had made significant progress by seizing control of Alamata in southern Tigray on September 27.

The purported takeover was also recorded by the US-based conflict-monitoring organization ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data).

Located about 120 kilometers south of the regional capital Mekelle, the strategically important town is situated on a major highway.

During the 2020-2022 war, Alamata changed hands several times between the two warring parties.

Residents accuse federal forces of deliberate attacks

A 40-year-old resident of Alamata told DW that civilians had deliberately been targeted, citing the account shared by militia members in the region: "The attacks … were acts of retaliation against the people of Alamata," the local said.

"The militias told us that government forces had fired the artillery at us."

Another resident, aged 45, said he believed the attack had deliberately been timed to maximize civilian casualties during the opening hours of a market, "when large numbers of people would be gathered there."

"At the Saturday market in Alamata, 11 people were killed and 15 others were wounded", he told DW.

DW would like to stress that these claims could not be independently verified.

An ENDF spokesperson was also contacted by DW for comment; by the time of the publishing of this article, the spokesperson had not responded to the request.

Shifting alliances and mutual blame

Large-scale fighting erupted on September 23, when Tigrayan forces seized the airports of the regional capital Mekele as well as the regional hubs of Aksum and Shire.

Three days earlier, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and six other armed groups had announced a new alliance aimed at overthrowing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government.

Unexpectedly, the alliance was joined by the Amhara Fano National Movement, which had supported federal forces against the TPLF during the 2020-2022 war, but has since then switched side and turned to fighting the federal government.

The federal government and Tigrayan forces meanwhile have accused each other of starting the latest escalation, both sides portraying their military actions as defensive in nature.

The unraveling of Ethiopia's fragile peace accord

Depending on the source, between 162,000 and 600,000 people were killed in the brutal 2020-2022 war, which was fought over the political status of the northern province of Tigray.

The war ended in November 2022 with the Pretoria Agreement, under which the TPLF agreed to the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of its combatants, and to respect the federal government's constitutional authority.

However, key provisions remained unimplemented and major disputes unresolved, including the status of contested territories, the return of displaced people and the full demobilization of Tigrayan forces.

Meanwhile, a power struggle within the TPLF ended with the more hardline faction around Debretsion Gebremichael reasserting control in Tigray, further straining relations with Addis Ababa.

The TPLF also reinstated Tigray's pre-war regional council, a move the federal government viewed as a violation of the Pretoria framework.

Concerns mounted even further when the TPLF lost its legal party legislation, thus excluding the party from participating in national elections in June this year.

Tensions steadily increased, culminating in renewed clashes between Tigrayan and federal forces beginning in August 2026.

Fears grow over civilian toll and rights violations

Local residents meanwhile are bracing for further fighting, as organizations like the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have managed to evacuate only few people caught up in the conflict.

According to the ICRC, the global NGO got to evacuate only around 160 individuals from Tigray, including Ethiopian Federal Police personnel, Ethiopian Airlines staff and African Union monitors.

With reports of damage to civilian infrastructure, disruptions to essential services and interrupted communication and transport routes, observers are worried about the situation of residents not only in Tigray but all across northern Ethiopia.

Amdegebreal Admassu, an Ethiopian lawyer focused on political and legal affairs, told DW he had received reports of fighters impacting public facilities including hospitals, schools and religious institutions.

"We observe instances where these facilities — which also serve as shelters for residents — are either accidentally hit or deliberately targeted.

"Under both international law and our country's penal code, such actions are classified as war crimes," Amdegebreal further explained.

Nearly everyone in Tigray impacted by fighting

Mebrihi Birhane, vice director for the NGO Human Rights First Ethiopia, told DW that many of those civilian facilities had already been impacted during the 2020-22 war.

"The population must have access to essential services even in times of war. Ensuring this is an obligation for all armed forces involved in the conflict," he said.

Meanwhile, the prices of goods are reported to be increasing dramatically, as supply routes are disrupted, affecting residents of Tigray whose communities had so far been spared from the direct fighting.

The latest reports indicate that Tigrayan forces have advanced into the Afar region and were said to be controling the area around Erebti.

Analysts say this advance could be aimed at threatening Ethiopia's main trade corridor — a vital route used for imports and exports and a lifeline for the country's economy.

The renewed conflict meanwhile could spread beyond the confines of Ethiopia to the Horn of Africa and beyond, as Prime Minister Abiy has already accused neighboring countries of picking sides and supporting rebel forces.

Several DW journalists contributed to this report.

Edited by: Sertan Sanderson