Tigrayan Separatists Launch Major Offensive in Ethiopia's Worst Fighting Since 2022 Ceasefire, Seizing Three Regional Airports

Tigrayan separatists launched a major military offensive across northern Ethiopia on September 23, 2026, seizing control of three regional airports in Axum, Shire, and Mekelle, according to Democracy Now, Al Jazeera, and multiple sources. The Tigray Defence Forces and six allied opposition groups under a newly-formed Ethiopian Peoples' Forces Alliance for Survival have launched heavy artillery attacks on government positions in Tigray, Afar, and Amhara regions. Ethiopian Airlines cancelled all flights to Tigray following the airport seizures. A Tigray People's Liberation Front official told AFP the country is in a situation of full-blown war now, marking the worst fighting since the November 2022 ceasefire that ended a devastating two-year conflict.

The offensive threatens to shatter the 2022 peace pact entirely and marks a significant escalation in Ethiopia's long-running internal conflict. The newly-formed opposition alliance has stated its goal is removal of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government, creating a multi-front crisis for the federal government. Internet disruptions have been reported across northern Ethiopia, reviving memories of the previous war when Tigray was largely isolated. The Ethiopian government has described the TPLF as a Trojan horse and accused the group of repeated attempts to incite conflict. The resumption of hostilities carries major implications for regional stability, humanitarian access, and Ethiopia's political trajectory after years of attempted reconciliation.

Sources

Sources: Democracy Now, Al Jazeera, AFP via multiple outlets, Washington Examiner, Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, and News4Jax. The Tigray Defence Forces seized Axum, Shire, and Mekelle airports on September 23. A TPLF central committee member Abdisalam Balema spoke to Al Jazeera from Mekelle on September 24.