Heavy fighting, internet disruption as Ethiopia conflict rages

September 25, 2026 / 3:08 PM

Sharjah24 - AFP: Ethiopian forces fought overnight to push back an attack by Tigray rebels in the Afar region, a humanitarian source said on Friday, amid reports of an internet blackout across northern Ethiopia.

The clashes followed a series of attacks this week, with Tigray rebels seizing local airports and advancing into the neighbouring Afar and Amhara regions, as they declared a renewed “full-blown war” with the federal government.

Locals fear a repeat of the telecoms blackout and supplies blockade imposed on Tigray during the last civil war in 2020-2022 that killed an estimated 600,000 people.

Online monitor Netblocks said there was an "internet disruption in northern Ethiopia corresponding to reports of a telecoms blackout in Tigray". AFP was unable to contact sources in the region by phone on Friday.

A humanitarian source in Afar said there was "heavy fighting overnight" around the town of Abala that sits in the mountains on the border with Tigray.

"The federal forces pushed the rebels from entering the town," the source said, adding that a drone was used by the army.

Heavy clashes occurred in North Wollo Zone of Amhara on Thursday, including around the UNESCO World Heritage sites in Lalibela, home to Ethiopia's famed rock churches.