Fighting in Tigray reaches two regions after a war that killed about 600,000 people

Fighting between Ethiopia's army and forces in Tigray has spread into Afar and Amhara. The Tigray People's Liberation Front, or TPLF, runs Tigray's government. The TPLF says its forces answered attacks. The government says forces from Tigray attacked first after taking airports. Phone and internet services are disrupted, so people cannot get money through apps. Cash machines have not worked for months.

The clashes follow months of tension over a peace deal made in 2022 with help from the African Union. It ended a two-year war. An African Union mediator said about 600,000 people died in that war. But the deal did not settle who should control western Tigray. Hundreds of thousands of people left the area during the war. The TPLF wants western Tigray back and wants those people to return. The government says people should choose the area's future in a vote. In May, the TPLF took control of Tigray's government again.

Now the TPLF has joined six other groups that want to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government. They include Fano and the Oromo Liberation Army, both fighting the government. Fano fought against the TPLF in the last war, and they still disagree about western Tigray. The groups want different things, so the alliance may not last. African Union leader Mahmoud Ali Youssouf called for “immediate de-escalation,” meaning the fighting should stop now, and for talks. His call matters because fighting has reached other regions while old disputes remain.