Fighting spreads in northern Ethiopia as Tigray communications fail
Reported telecom and internet outages have revived fears of a communications blackout and supply disruption as clashes extend into Afar and Amhara.
Fighting between Ethiopian federal forces and forces from Tigray and their allies has intensified this week, spreading from Tigray into neighbouring Afar and Amhara. Telecom and internet services in Tigray were reported to have stopped working on Friday.
NetBlocks detected an internet disruption in northern Ethiopia, while Reuters, as cited by Al Jazeera, reported that the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) ordered Safaricom and Ethio telecom to cut access in the region. The reason for the reported order and the outage’s full extent remain unclear.
The disruption has raised fears of a return to conditions during the 2020–2022 civil war, when Tigray was largely cut off amid communications restrictions and a supplies blockade. That conflict was estimated to have killed around 600,000 people.
Seven armed groups have announced an alliance, the Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival, which says it aims to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government. Residents in Tigray were reported to be stocking up on basic supplies and withdrawing cash.
The current escalation is described as the most serious since the civil war. The supplied reporting does not establish the full extent of the fighting or how long communications services will remain disrupted.
