Ethiopia Seizes Alamata Town as Federal Troops Move on Mekelle

Ethiopia's government and its partners say they have seized a vital town that might open the door for federal troops to march on Mekelle, the capital of Tigray. Forces aligned with the state claim victory after days of clashes across several battlefields in northern Ethiopia. The Tigray Peace Force, an armed group made up of fighters loyal to the central government, posted a statement on Facebook declaring that Alamata had fallen alongside the national army.

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Hostilities have grown worse across northern Ethiopia this past week. Renewed violence between the federal government led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), along with its allies, has broken the fragile Pretoria Agreement signed in November 2022. The previous war from 2020 to 2022 left hundreds of thousands dead and forced millions to flee their homes.

What is happening right now? On Monday, the Tigray Peace Force announced its fighters took Alamata. This strategic town sits about 120km south of Mekelle. Video confirmed by Reuters showed soldiers strolling through the town carrying Ethiopian flags. Two diplomatic sources told Reuters the location had changed hands. Meanwhile, a source linked to opposition forces claimed they were pulling back.

The current surge in violence started last week when Tigrayan rebels launched a major offensive. They took three airports in Tigray and pushed into neighboring Afar and Amhara regions. The TPLF says it is fighting a defensive war and accuses federal troops of using drones and heavy artillery to attack. Federal forces have since struck back. On Sunday, the headquarters of Tigrai TV, viewed as the main outlet for rebel authorities in Mekelle, got hit by a drone.

Where are the clashes occurring? Battles are happening on multiple fronts across northern Ethiopia, spanning Tigray, Amhara, and Afar. Alamata matters because it lies near Tigray's southern border with Amhara and acts as a supply hub for troops, fuel, and food. Taking this spot could let federal forces push north toward Mekelle. A military source told Al Jazeera that government troops have already moved forward and are heading to or surrounding the capital.

At the same time, TPLF forces took Erebti, another strategically important town in Afar, over the weekend. An Ethiopian commander spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to confirm this. The Tigray Peace Force admitted Erebti had fallen but disputed reports that intense fighting caused the takeover, according to AP.

The push into Afar could endanger supply routes from Djibouti. Most Ethiopian imports, including fuel, travel through there. Fighting in Afar also comes amid claims of direct involvement by Eritrea. Al Jazeera's Taha Tawakul, reporting from the region, said the governor told him Eritrean forces were participating in the fighting, controlled more than two-thirds of the area, and moved to cut the road linking Djibouti and Eritrea.

"The situation is, therefore, extremely dangerous, and perhaps in the coming hours, the federal government will intervene alongside the Afar regional government," Tawakul reported. The Eritrean government has not yet responded to these allegations. Violence has also spread into Amhara, including around North Wollo.

The Ethiopian military reported roughly 270 Tigrayan fighters killed in recent clashes, with more than 200 others wounded. The humanitarian picture on the ground is already grim enough to call devastating. Doctors Without Borders warned of a sharp spike in injured patients across northern hospitals just Monday. Patient numbers swelled at Korem and Alamata facilities from about 180 to over 420 within two days alone. Suhul Hospital received roughly 300 wounded arrivals during the previous week according to MSF staff. Communication lines have gone dark too, as internet and phone networks in Tigray face serious disruption now. Valerie Browning, who co-founded the Afar Pastoralist Development Association, told AP that some 150,000 people fled their homes since fighting restarted.

The core of this violence pits Abiy's government against the TPLF, a group that ruled Ethiopian politics for nearly three decades before Abiy took office in 2018. War erupted back in November 2020 between these two sides and lasted two full years with terrible human costs. Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who served as an African Union mediator, put the death toll near 600,000 though other estimates vary widely. Just before this latest offensive began, the TPLF united with six other armed groups to create the Ethiopian Peoples' Forces Alliance for Survival. That coalition declared its goal is removing Abiy's administration and setting up a transitional government structure instead. Its members include the Oromo Liberation Army and the Amhara Fano National Movement despite past battles between them.

Ethiopia's neighbors could easily get dragged into this mess if tensions keep rising right now. The army chief, Field Marshal Berhanu Jula, accused Eritrea of backing opposition forces while claiming Sudan and Egypt offer support too. Both Eritrea and Sudan flatly denied these accusations came from anywhere near the truth. Nader Zaki, a spokesperson for Egypt's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told Reuters that Cairo's policy rests on full respect for state sovereignty and territorial integrity. A post on X from Sudan called Ethiopia's government claims baseless and unfounded because they lack any foundation or evidence at all.