Forces from Ethiopia's northern Tigray region launched a major military offensive against the federal government, shattering a four-year-old peace agreement and raising fears of renewed civil war.
Tigrayan authorities declared that their forces commenced a defensive campaign after months of mounting political hostility and alleged federal military incursions. Regional fighters rapidly captured federally administered airports across Tigray, prompting national flag carrier Ethiopian Airlines to suspend all flights into the area. The offensive followed the formation of a broader coalition between the Tigray People's Liberation Front and several other armed factions opposed to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
Ground combat rapidly spread beyond regional boundaries into neighboring Afar and Amhara regions, drawing local militias and government soldiers into active firefights. International diplomats warned that the collapse of the 2022 Pretoria cessation of hostilities threatens to plunge the Horn of Africa back into a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.