Tigray Conflict Reignites as Forces Capture Key Airport in Ethiopia

WHO:

CNN - Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), Ethiopian federal government, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Getachew Reda (adviser to Abiy), Fano militia, Eritrea.

BBC News - Residents of northern Ethiopia.

WHAT:

CNN - Tigrayan leaders announced they have entered a new war with the federal government.

CNN - TPLF has formed an alliance with six other armed groups aimed at overthrowing Abiy Ahmed’s government.

CNN - Tigrayan forces seized control of federally controlled airports in Tigray.

CNN - Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights to the region.

CNN - Tigrayan forces are fighting alongside a local armed group in Afar and the Fano militia in Amhara.

WHERE:

CNN - Tigray, Afar, Amhara regions of Ethiopia.

BBC News - Northern Ethiopia.

WHEN:

CNN - The Pretoria Agreement was signed in November 2022.

CNN - The civil war between TPLF and federal forces occurred from 2020 to 2022.

WHY:

CNN - The TPLF claims the new war is a response to an "invasion" by Abiy Ahmed’s government, described as "autocratic and genocidal."

CNN - The federal government accused the TPLF of violating the Pretoria Agreement and seeking to create chaos.

HOW:

CNN - TPLF announced that Tigray Forces have been instructed to counter the attack and have entered a defensive war.

CNN - The alliance with other armed groups has been financially backed by Eritrea, according to Abiy’s spokesperson.

(UPDATED September 23, 2026 13:59 UTC)

Tigrayan leaders have declared a new war against the Ethiopian federal government, forming an alliance with six other armed groups to overthrow Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Tigrayan forces have already seized control of federally controlled airports in the Tigray region, prompting Ethiopian Airlines to suspend flights to the area. The TPLF claims this conflict is a response to what they describe as an "invasion" by Abiy’s government, while the federal government accuses the TPLF of violating the Pretoria Agreement signed in November 2022.