Tigray

Ethiopian government forces entered the regional capital of Tigray in early October after months of military operations, ending years of armed control by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. The development marks a new phase in Ethiopia’s internal war with deep implications for the wider Horn of Africa, where the long-running conflict has shaped humanitarian conditions, regional diplomacy and the political architecture of Africa’s most populous landlocked country.

Ethiopian federal forces have retaken Mekelle, the capital of the Tigray region, after opposition fighters briefly held the city. Four African heads of state have issued a joint declaration calling for an immediate ceasefire.

On 23 September 2026, Ethiopia’s federal government and the Tigray regional authorities traded accusations of initiating military offensives, sharply escalating tensions. Tigrayan authorities said they had seized control of two regional airports and accused the federal military of carrying out drone strikes; the federal government rejected the claims and said Tigrayan forces had broken the ceasefire framework first. International organisations warned of the risk of a renewed full-scale war in the Horn of Africa.