Fighting has intensified in Ethiopia as government forces reportedly regained control of the strategic town of Alamata in southern Tigray following days of clashes with Tigrayan forces across several fronts.
Pro-government forces announced on Monday that they had retaken Alamata, a key town located along a major highway leading into the Tigray region.
The development represents a setback for the Tigrayan forces, who launched coordinated offensives against federal forces on multiple fronts last week.
The renewed fighting has raised concerns over a possible return to the devastating civil war that engulfed Ethiopia between 2020 and 2022 and reportedly resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths.
The recapture of Alamata was announced on Facebook by the Tigray Peace Force, a Tigrayan splinter group aligned with the federal government.
Conflict monitor ACLED also confirmed reports that federal forces had seized control of the town.
The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the main Tigrayan rebel force, launched attacks into the neighbouring Amhara and Afar regions last Wednesday.
In Afar, the TPLF reportedly made further advances on Sunday, capturing the town of Erebti and moving eastwards.
The movement has raised concerns that the Tigrayan forces could be seeking to disrupt supply routes from Djibouti, which handles the bulk of Ethiopia’s international trade cargo.
Heavy fighting has also been reported in the Amhara region, where the TPLF is operating alongside the local Fano militia.
Clashes have reportedly taken place around Lalibela, home to the renowned rock-hewn churches designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The renewed hostilities have heightened fears over the durability of the 2022 peace agreement that brought an end to the previous Tigray conflict and raised fresh concerns about stability in the wider Horn of Africa.
