Fighting rages in northern Ethiopia, raising humanitarian concerns

Fighting in the north of Ethiopia continued to rage over the weekend, raising fears of a new humanitarian crisis in an already troubled region.

Heavy clashes have resumed between the Tigray People's Liberation Front and the federal government since Wednesday.

The TPLF has seized airports and launched attacks into the neighbouring Ethiopian states of Afar and Amhara, saying they were engaged in a "defensive war" against the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

A humanitarian source estimated that at least 150,000 people have been displaced in Afar, but said it was impossible to give precise numbers.

International NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) expressed concerns over the situation. "With an uptake in fighting in Ethiopia, we see the risk to civilians spreading at a time when diplomatic attention and scrutiny of the situation have reduced, given the broader dynamics and catastrophes throughout the region as well", said Laetitia Bader, deputy director of the Africa division at HRW.

"The region is already facing devastating human rights and humanitarian crises", she added. "In neighbouring Sudan we are talking about the biggest humanitarian crisis in the world."

Alleged support from Eritrea and Sudan

Meanwhile, Ethiopia's army commander on Sunday accused Eritrea and Sudan of backing armed groups fighting its troops in the north of the country.

Speaking on the army's YouTube channel, army chief Field Marshal Birhanu Jula said: "We are fighting forces that are organised and allied to serve the interests of external forces."

"Neither Shaebia (Eritrea) nor the TPLF can achieve anything alone, even if they are allied, unless they are backed, supported and supplied by Sudan, Egypt and other external powers", he added.

The TPLF has allied with seven armed groups around the country, and appears to repeating a strategy from the last war of pushing south through Amhara towards Addis Ababa,

Its offensive in Afar is aimed at cutting supplies from Djibouti, which provides almost all of Ethiopia's international trade cargo, including fuel.

The headquarters of Tigrai TV, seen as the key outlet for the rebel authorities in the Tigrayan capital, Mekelle, was hit by a drone on Sunday.

Communications have been limited since Friday when telecoms providers reported major disruption to phone and internet services in Tigray, making reporting on the conflict difficult.

Many in Tigray fear a repeat of a blockade imposed by the federal government during the 2020-2022 conflict when electricity, banking, and almost all aid were cut off.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres raised the alarm on Friday, his spokesman saying Guterres was "particularly troubled by reports of the use of drones as well as incidents of harm to civilians".