Statement from the National Regional Government of Tigray
It is known that the despotic and genocidal Prosperity regime, by intensifying the genocidal acts it had been perpetrating to exterminate the people of Tigray using various methods, had inflicted a lot of damage by carrying out bombings using aircraft and drones and, in some areas, waging overt [infantry] attacks.
However, the Tigray government, on its part, refrained from responding to the repeated hostility and provocations of the enemy, rather preferring to observe the developments in depth and undertake de-escalatory activities.
The genocidal regime, which does not want to rest until it completely exterminates and subdues the people of Tigray, has, as a continuation of the intense bombardment it had been carrying out using aircraft, drones and cannons [guns] yesterday, 22 September 2026, today launched an open invasion and attack on us, accompanied by infantry.
Consequently, our army, which is the pillar of the existence and security of its people, has been instructed to defend against the attack and genocidal invasion waged on us and has entered into a defensive battle.
There is no doubt that we will repulse, with great perseverance and motivation, the second round of genocidal invasion that Abiy Ahmed – who has been continually committing genocide for the past six years with the aim of exterminating us as a people – has now waged against us.
Therefore, we call on our army, the entire people and our allies in the struggle to solidify their unity and intensify their struggle. We are confident that you, our people at home and abroad, will stand by your heroic army now, as you did in the past, and do everything required of you.
While timely explanations will be given by the relevant authorities regarding the invasion that has begun and the ongoing resistance, we notify you that presenting information regarding military movements, campaigns and operations, apart from the relevant body, will entail legal accountability.
The dictatorial and genocidal Prosperity regime, by intensifying the crimes it had been committing in violation of international humanitarian and human rights laws, has now cut off public services and infrastructure.
Moreover, we urge our entire people to take necessary precautions, as the enemy, known for its “drying the sea to catch fish” mentality, will not restrain itself from committing further crimes against civilians.
Honor and glory to our heroic martyrs!
National Regional Government of Tigray
September 23, 2026
Mekelle
Tigrayan leaders say new war with Ethiopian government has begun, as fighting erupts
By Reuters
September 23, 202611:21 AM GMT+1Updated 9 mins ago
- Summary
- Companies
- Tigrayan forces announce they have ‘entered a defensive war’
- Forces seized airports in Tigray overnight
- Four sources confirm fighting in Tigray, Afar and Amhara
- TPLF has formed alliance with six armed groups to overthrow Abiy
Sept 23 (Reuters) – Forces from the northern Ethiopian region of Tigray launched a major offensive against the federal government on Wednesday, a senior Ethiopian official said, shattering a four-year-old peace deal and threatening a wider regional conflict.
Tigray’s leaders said in a statement they had entered a “defensive” war to counter aggression by the federal government.
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A civil war that began in 2020 between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and federal forces resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths before the Pretoria Agreement was signed in November 2022.
The new hostilities follow months of growing animosity between the two sides, capped by Sunday’s announcement that the TPLF had formed an alliance with six other armed groups from across Ethiopia aimed at overthrowing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government.
The TPLF-led regional administration said there had been an “intensification of the invasion conducted through various methods” by Abiy’s government against the people of Tigray.
“The Tigray Forces have been instructed to counter the attack and have entered a defensive war,” it said in a statement.
Getachew Reda, an adviser to Abiy and a former TPLF official, wrote on X that the TPLF had seized control of federally controlled airports in Tigray and launched an “all-out offensive” against government positions in the neighbouring regions of Afar and Amhara.
“The TPLF politico-military leadership has obviously taken irresponsibility to new heights,” he said.
Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights to the region.
FEARS OF A WIDER WAR
Spokespeople for Abiy, the federal government and the TPLF did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.
Regional diplomats and analysts have warned for months that a resumption of the conflict in Tigray could quickly escalate into a wider war, overlapping with fighting in neighbouring Sudan and further roiling the volatile Red Sea region.
A civil war that broke out in 2023 in Sudan has dragged in powerful states from outside the Horn of Africa and created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.
In the 2020-2022 Tigray war, Ethiopia’s neighbour and historical adversary Eritrea backed the government militarily against the TPLF.
But relations between the two countries have soured since then. Abiy’s spokesperson, Billene Seyoum, told Reuters on Monday that members of the newly announced alliance had been collaborating for a while with Eritrea’s financial backing.
Eritrea has repeatedly denied accusations it supports Ethiopian armed groups. Its information minister declined to comment on Wednesday about the latest developments.
ARMED GROUPS SIDE WITH TIGRAYANS
In Afar, Tigrayan forces were fighting alongside a local armed group, and in Amhara, they were fighting alongside the Fano militia, according to a senior Ethiopian government official, a diplomatic source, a humanitarian source and another source with links to the TPLF and Fano.
Fano sided with the federal government during the 2020-2022 war, but rose up against it in 2023. It is a member of the new alliance with the TPLF.
In a statement on Wednesday, the regional government in Afar accused the TPLF of launching an invasion and said Afari forces would defend themselves in coordination with their allies.
The scale and intensity of the fighting were not clear. Jawar Mohammed, a political analyst and formerly a close ally of Abiy, said the federal government was limiting its engagement to try to prove to the international community that the TPLF was the instigator.
The 2020-2022 war stemmed from a breakdown in relations between the TPLF, which dominated Ethiopian politics for nearly three decades, and Abiy, whose appointment as prime minister in 2018 ended the TPLF’s dominance.
EACH SIDE ACCUSES THE OTHER OF PEACE DEAL VIOLATIONS
Following halting progress in implementing the Pretoria Agreement, each side has accused the other of violations in recent months.
In May, the TPLF seized control of the region’s government from the interim administration established under the peace deal.
The Ethiopian military has carried out several drone strikes against Tigrayan forces, according to data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project.
On Tuesday, the US government said it condemned a recent drone strike on a Catholic Relief Services humanitarian assistance convoy in Tigray and urged authorities to conduct a full investigation, without saying who was responsible for the attack.
According to a statement by the Catholic Eparchy of Adigrat in northern Tigray, the drone strike on Sunday destroyed a truck carrying food aid destined for internally displaced people.
The federal government has not commented on any of the reported strikes in Tigray.
Reporting by Vincent Mumo Nzilani, Aaron Ross, Giulia Paravicini and Ammu Kannampilly; Editing by Ros Russell and Aidan Lewis
