Ethiopian Army Reports 272 Tigrayan Fighters Killed in Amhara Offensive
Ethiopia’s army says it killed 272 Tigrayan fighters and wounded 260 others during a counter-offensive in North Wollo, while the TPLF describes the conflict as full-scale war.
The Ethiopian National Defence Force says it killed at least 272 fighters from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front and wounded another 260 during a counter-offensive in North Wollo, in the Amhara region.
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The figures were released in an army statement on Thursday and have not been independently verified. The force said the operation followed attacks by the TPLF and allied groups in several areas of North Wollo. It also reported that several Tigrayan fighters were captured, but did not provide a number.
TPLF describes conflict as full-scale war
Amanuel Assefa, the TPLF’s vice president, told AFP that the group was now in “the situation of full-blown war” with Ethiopia’s federal government.
Assefa said TPLF forces were fighting alongside local armed groups in Amhara and Afar. The escalation follows the formation of the Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival, a coalition that includes the TPLF, the Amhara Fano National Movement, the Oromo Liberation Army and movements from Somali, Afar and Benishangul-Gumuz regional states.
The alliance has said it is committed to removing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government. In a statement issued on Wednesday, it claimed that federal forces were attacking alliance members on several fronts. That allegation has not been independently verified.
Air travel disrupted
The fighting has also affected air travel. Reports said Tigrayan forces seized three local airports, although the source did not independently confirm control of those facilities.
Reuters reported that flights to Lalibela were suspended. AFP also received reports that fighting around the town led to the closure of its airport. Lalibela, in Amhara, is known for its medieval rock-hewn churches and is described as a UNESCO-listed site.
The source did not provide the exact dates or duration of the reported airport seizures, nor did it give figures for government, allied-group or civilian casualties.
Regional tensions add to uncertainty
The TPLF last fought Ethiopia’s federal government in 2020. That conflict continued for two years and ended with a peace agreement in 2022.
The latest fighting is unfolding amid broader tensions in the Horn of Africa. Analysts have said Eritrea supports the Tigray rebels and fears that Ethiopia may seek access to the Red Sea. Assefa told AFP that the TPLF had not decided to request Eritrean intervention, saying, “Not yet.” He also said, “we have no information about Eritrea’s plan”.
Ethiopian President Taye Atske-Selassie Amde has blamed what he called “the forces of destruction and mayhem” and “interference in our internal affairs by adversarial elements” for the escalation. In an address to the United Nations General Assembly, he said Ethiopia had exercised “immense restraint” and made progress with its neighbours.
The competing accounts could not be independently reconciled from the available information. The renewed confrontation has nevertheless highlighted how Ethiopia’s internal conflicts are increasingly linked to wider rivalries involving neighbouring states and armed groups across the region.
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