{"id":6595,"date":"2026-10-02T07:47:07","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T07:47:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=6595"},"modified":"2026-10-02T07:47:07","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T07:47:07","slug":"how-the-fighting-in-ethiopia-spread-beyond-tigray-in-maps-and-charts-conflict-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=6595","title":{"rendered":"How the fighting in Ethiopia spread beyond Tigray, in maps and charts | Conflict News"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Fighting is intensifying across northern Ethiopia, almost four years after a peace deal ended a devastating two-year war in the country\u2019s Tigray region.<\/p>\n

The conflict has also spread into the neighbouring Amhara and Afar regions. Government-aligned forces say they captured the strategic town of Alamata, Tigray, on September 28, while Tigrayan forces have pushed into Afar.<\/p>\n

Telecommunications have been cut across much of Tigray and commercial flights have been suspended, separating families and hampering humanitarian operations.<\/p>\n

\"INTERACTIVE<\/p>\n

Ethiopia\u2019s army chief has accused Eritrea, Sudan\u2019s army and Egypt of backing the armed groups, raising fears of a wider regional war. All countries have denied the allegations, with Egypt adding that it strictly respects the sovereignty of neighbouring states.<\/p>\n

In this visual explainer, Al Jazeera maps where the fighting is, who is involved and how Ethiopia got here.<\/p>\n

Where is the fighting happening?<\/h2>\n

Fighting is concentrated in three regions in northern Ethiopia: Tigray, Amhara and Afar. There are several active fronts rather than a single battlefield.<\/p>\n

In southern Tigray, government forces and their allies have taken Alamata, a strategic town about 120km (75 miles) south of the regional capital, Mekelle.<\/p>\n

The town is a supply hub for troops, fuel and food near Tigray\u2019s border with Amhara.<\/p>\n

On September 22, between 15 and 17 drone strikes hit Alamata, including several schools and a hospital, according to the conflict monitor ACLED.<\/p>\n

\"INTERACTIVE<\/p>\n

To the west, a separate front has opened near the Tekeze River in western Tigray, an area disputed between Tigray and Amhara.<\/p>\n

Fighting has also spread into northern Amhara, around Kobo and Gidan in North Wello zone and Sekota in Wag Hemra zone, which government forces retook on September 27.<\/p>\n

Further east, Tigrayan forces and the Afar armed group Ugugumo have advanced into Afar, where fighting has been reported along the Tigray-Afar border and around Erebti and Abala.<\/p>\n

The advance matters because it could threaten the Semera-Djibouti corridor, Ethiopia\u2019s main route for imports, including fuel.<\/p>\n

Which main groups are fighting?<\/h2>\n

Seven Ethiopian armed and political groups announced an alliance<\/a> on September 20 aimed at removing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed\u2019s government and establishing an inclusive transitional government.<\/p>\n

The group is called the Ethiopian Peoples\u2019 Forces Alliance for Survival, or the Alliance for Survival. Its members include:<\/p>\n

\"INTERACTIVE<\/p>\n

The Tigray People\u2019s Liberation Front (TPLF)<\/strong>: The alliance\u2019s main military force, whose fighters launched the latest offensive. It dominated Ethiopian politics for nearly three decades before Abiy took office in 2018. War broke out between the TPLF and federal forces in November 2020.<\/p>\n

The Amhara Fano National Movement:<\/strong> A coalition of Fano factions that turned against Abiy\u2019s government in 2023, after fighting alongside federal forces during the Tigray war.<\/p>\n

The Oromo Liberation Army (OLA):<\/strong> It has fought federal forces in Oromia since 2018, seeking greater self-determination for the Oromo.<\/p>\n

The other groups named in the alliance are the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front (also known as Ugugumo), the Benishangul Peoples\u2019 Liberation Movement and the Gumuz Peoples\u2019 Democratic Movement. On September 25, the Sidama National Liberation Front announced that it would also join.<\/p>\n

The alliance\u2019s membership is contested. According to Jalale Getachew Birru, senior East Africa analyst at ACLED<\/a>, the Gumuz Peoples\u2019 Democratic Movement has denied joining, saying it has no armed wing. The ONLF is split: one faction backs the alliance, while another says it is not part of it. The OLA has indicated that its main interest is removing the government rather than joining coordinated military operations.<\/p>\n

ACLED says only three members, the TPLF, the Amhara Fano National Movement and Ugugumo, were actively fighting federal forces as of September 26.<\/p>\n

In its founding statement, the alliance accused the government of \u201cdictatorial rule\u201d. It said a transitional government would end the country\u2019s wars, protect rights and open a national dialogue.<\/p>\n

What are the regions of Ethiopia?<\/h2>\n

Ethiopia is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Eritrea, Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya, Somalia and Djibouti. With about 139 million people, it is Africa\u2019s second-most populous country after Nigeria.<\/p>\n

\"INTERACTIVE<\/p>\n

It is also one of the world\u2019s most ethnically diverse countries, with more than 80 groups. The Oromo are the largest, making up about 35 percent of the population, followed by the Amhara at about 24 percent. Other major groups include Somali (7 percent), Tigrayan (6 percent) and Sidama (4 percent).<\/p>\n

Ethiopia is divided into 12 regional states and two chartered cities, Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa. The federal system, introduced in 1992 and formalised in the 1994 constitution, largely follows ethnic and linguistic divisions.<\/p>\n

How did we get here?<\/h2>\n

The renewed fighting stems from political and territorial tensions left unresolved following Ethiopia\u2019s 2020-2022 Tigray war. The Tigray People\u2019s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the federal government remain divided over political control, security and disputed territory.<\/p>\n

Tensions have been building for months. According to the conflict monitor ACLED, clashes between Tigrayan and federal forces began near the Sudanese border on August 1, followed by federal drone strikes and Tigrayan troop deployments.<\/p>\n

\"Vehicles
Vehicles carrying armed men drive along a street in Alamata, Ethiopia, after a pro-government militia said that Ethiopia\u2019s military and allied fighters had captured the town, in this screengrab from a social media video released on September 28, 2026 [Social media via Reuters]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In September, Tigrayan forces moved tanks and artillery south. There were also reports of renewed recruitment and forced mobilisation in Tigray.<\/p>\n

On September 20, the TPLF and six other armed and political groups announced the Ethiopian Peoples\u2019 Forces Alliance for Survival, which aims to overthrow Abiy\u2019s government and install a transitional administration.<\/p>\n

Three days later, on September 23, fighting escalated sharply. Tigrayan forces seized the airports in Mekelle, Axum and Shire and pushed into neighbouring Afar and Amhara. The government says the TPLF launched an \u201call-out offensive\u201d. The TPLF says it is fighting a \u201cdefensive war\u201d and accuses federal forces of attacking with aircraft, drones and artillery.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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Fighting is intensifying across northern Ethiopia, almost four years after a peace deal ended a devastating two-year war in the country\u2019s Tigray region. The conflict has also spread into the neighbouring Amhara and Afar regions. Government-aligned forces say they captured the strategic town of Alamata, Tigray, on September 28, while Tigrayan forces have pushed into…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6596,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_templately_pack_id":"","_templately_imported_at":"","_templately_source":"","_templately_import_session_id":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-international-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t