Ethiopian army chief Field Marshal Birhanu Jula says the defence force will not be dismantled for a transitional government, and accuses Asmara and Egypt of backing the TPLF

Fana Broadcasting Corporate reported his remarks at the commemoration of the 119th Defence Forces Day on Saturday. He said the army had seized weapons delivered through the port of Massawa; the claim could not be independently verified.

US Ambassador Ervin Massinga says conflict should never be the first option and warns those threatening civilian airports are making a grave mistake

In an interview with The Reporter Ethiopia, the US ambassador said the Pretoria principles and the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement still guide American policy. He did not state a position on Ethiopia's sea access.

Ethiopia's Justice Minister says transitional justice draft laws are complete and will be published in the coming days

Hana Arayaselassie said the drafts set up a Truth and Social Cohesion Commission, an independent special prosecutor's office with a dedicated court bench, and an Institutional Reform Commission.

Ethiopia's National Dialogue Commission concludes its mandate; 394 recommendations go to parliament with no implementation timetable

Chief Commissioner Mesfin Araya said the Commission had completed its main responsibilities. House Speaker Ahmed Shide said parliament would work to implement the recommendations.

Ethiopian Human Rights Council says civilians have been killed and abducted in Amhara, Gambella, Oromia and Benishangul-Gumuz

The council's 22 October statement names a Red Cross ambulance driver killed in Benishangul-Gumuz and reports Eritrean refugees wounded by heavy weapons fire near a camp in North Gondar.

Ethiopia's intelligence chief Redwan Hussien says Red Sea security cannot be left to a few states alone

The NISS director general told the Tana Forum's Special Envoys' Dialogue in Bahir Dar that Ethiopia depends entirely on the Red Sea for its trade, and called for collective action by regional states and international partners.

Tigray army commander Lt. Gen. Fisseha Kidanu calls on militias and volunteers to attack government-held positions

He spoke on Thursday on a new rebel television station, a day before the caretaker administration urged fighters to disarm, AP reported.

Tigray caretaker administration official Redae Halefom says rebel forces are collapsing and urges fighters into a disarmament programme

The caretaker administration, set up after government-allied forces entered Mekelle on 4 October, told fighters to return home. 'This is not the time for settling scores,' he said.

ACLED says Tigray forces and Agaw fighters took Nirak in Amhara's Wag Hamra zone; the Ethiopian army re-entered the town a day later

Nirak is the administrative centre of Abergele woreda. ACLED is a conflict-monitoring group; the accounts could not be independently verified.

Armed men attack the Finchaa sugar factory in West Oromia; five killed and two employees abducted

Borkena, citing Deutsche Welle Amharic, said four militia members and one civilian were killed and vehicles were burned; no group has been identified as responsible.

Fighting breaks out at Kurmuk in Benishangul-Gumuz; ACLED says Tigray forces clashed with the Ethiopian army and regional police

ACLED said the fighting followed armed men crossing the border from Sudan; the report could not be independently verified.

Debretsion Gebremichael says Tigray is still at war and claims recent victories

The message was broadcast on Tigrayan television on Wednesday. The claim could not be independently verified and the federal government has not responded.

Oromia and Somali region forces clash in Moyale; hundreds of Ethiopians cross into Kenya

Kenya's Marsabit county commissioner and the Kenya Red Cross say hundreds crossed the border after fighting that began on Wednesday. Addis Standard reports the clashes followed a dispute over the raising of a Somali Regional State flag in Moyale.

Fighting in Tigray continues this week

Reports describe heavy fighting around Semema and Debre Damo on 21 October.

Getachew Reda urges the international community to note Asmara's ‘destructive role’ and asks the UN to support Tigray's caretaker administration

He spoke after meeting Guang Cong, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, in Addis Ababa on Wednesday. Eritrea has not responded.

Addis Ababa acts on unfair price and rent rises

Mayor Adanech Abebe says a 500 million birr revolving fund has been allocated and large market centres are being opened.

Kidnappings spread in Addis Ababa

Abductions of civilians have become a source of income for some groups, reports say.

Drone strikes in Ethiopia raise legal questions

Attacks on schools, hospitals and civilians are raising serious questions of legality and ethics, reports say.

Four people, including two children, killed in a drone strike on Finarwa in Tigray; no party has been identified as responsible

AFP, citing a local priest, says five others were wounded. The account has not been independently verified.

Abiy Ahmed says the TPLF had been preparing for another round of war in violation of the Pretoria agreement, and calls on Tigrayan youth to lay down their arms

In an interview with the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation, the Prime Minister accused the group of buying and soliciting weapons, recruiting young people, holding displaced people hostage and destroying restored infrastructure.

Abiy Ahmed appoints Lt. Gen. Belay Seyoum, the former Northern Command chief, deputy commissioner general of the Federal Police

The lieutenant general publicly stated in 2021 that Eritrean troops had entered Tigray. In his new post he will lead the Crime Prevention Main Department.

Fano says an Ethiopian army drone struck a primary school in Dera, South Gondar; the claim is unverified

Borkena, citing Anchor Media and Fano forces, reported that the strike hit Sana Elementary School at about 10am on Tuesday while classes were in session. Fano said the number of dead and wounded had not been established, and the Ethiopian government has not commented.

Federal forces pulled back from Zalambessa and Rama, monitors say, as Eritrean forces are reported digging trenches near Gundet

The Critical Threats Project's 20 October review, citing conflict monitors, reports federal forces withdrawing south from two towns on the Eritrean border and Eritrean forces digging in north of Rama. The claims could not be independently verified.

UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Ozonnia Ojielo calls for the fighting in Tigray to stop and for civilian rule to be restored

Ozonnia Ojielo, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ethiopia, called for the fighting to stop, civilian governance to be restored and humanitarian access to be expanded, after meeting Assefa Abraha Hagos of Tigray's new administration.

US Embassy in Addis Ababa says fighting has decreased in Tigray and Afar, and tells its citizens not to travel to Amhara, Tigray or Afar

In a security alert issued on 20 October 2026, the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa said fighting has decreased in the Tigray and Afar regions, and noted that flights remain suspended at Axum and Shire airports.

Tigray Peace Force commander says TPLF leaders crossed into Eritrea; Eritrea and the TPLF reject the claim

Gebregziabher Beyene told residents of Mekelle on Tuesday that TPLF leaders had taken military equipment and medicines to Asmara. Eritrea's information minister called the claim lies, and the TPLF said its leadership is inside Tigray.

Ethiopian foreign affairs institute accuses Egypt and Eritrea

Researchers say the two countries have opened a war with help from insiders.

Abiy Ahmed attends Kenya’s Mashujaa Day

The Ethiopian prime minister was guest of honour at the national celebration in Eldoret.

Afar sultan says this is not our war

Ahmed Alimirah Hanfare says Afar people must not be sent to fight for others’ political gain.

Tigray forces say 1,511 federal troops killed in two days

The TPLF says a further 1,050 were wounded in fighting in northern Tigray.

Abiy Ahmed says Eritrea gains nothing by serving as a base for Ethiopia's enemies and warns that ignoring Ethiopia's calls will have "very severe consequences"

Speaking in Tigrinya on Monday, the Ethiopian prime minister said good neighbourly relations and partnership are the only way forward, and said the TPLF's existence is coming to an end. AFP said it was his first substantial comment after weeks of fighting in northern Ethiopia.

Alliance for Survival rejects Rubio's 'separatist' and 'terrorist' labels and urges Washington to take a balanced position

The coalition of seven armed and political groups said its operations were self-defence and "not driven by separatist objectives", Addis Standard reported on 19 October.

US ambassador Ervin Massinga says conflict should never be the first option and that Tigray is stabilising

He told The Reporter Ethiopia that Washington is vigorously focused on dialogue and diplomacy, and said the Ethiopian Peoples' Forces Alliance for Survival has called only for more conflict and destruction.

Ethiopia's navy chief says the force is expanding its combat units and training to counter threats

Vice Admiral Kindu Gezu told the state broadcaster EBC that a sailors' training centre at Bishoftu has taken in its first cohort and that marine commando battalions have been trained.

TPLF warns Ethiopian Airlines over military airlifts

It says it will treat the airline’s aircraft as military targets unless the flights stop.

Report says Prosperity’s military structure is foreign-driven

365 cargo flights carrying military supplies are said to have landed in Addis Ababa in nine months.

1,447 Ethiopians return home from Saudi Arabia

Among the returnees are 1,139 men, 261 women and 47 children.

Tigray forces say they have taken Hagere Selam

The town lies about 40km north-west of Mekelle.

US exposes drone and missile attacks in Addis Ababa

The strikes are said to have targeted military installations in the capital.

Ethiopian court orders Yohannes Buayalew, journalist Abay Zewdu and others to defend terrorism charges

Their lawyer Solomon Gezahagn told BBC Amharic that the four detainees had refused a conditional pardon. The case has 52 defendants in all.

Rallies in Amhara region back the national army

Demonstrations were held in Gondar, Sekota, Debre Tabor, Woldia and Genda Wuha.

TPLF rejects the new interim administration for Tigray

It warns that institutions co-operating with the body will be held responsible.

Drone strikes cause damage in the town of Rama

ACLED says federal drones targeted fighting vehicles around Rama.

Federal commanders call Tigray a garrison, sources say

Wide-ranging plans are said to be under way to turn the region into a major military base for the federal government.

Tigray forces retake Abiy Adi after federal withdrawal, ACLED says

The conflict monitor says the town changed hands after federal forces pulled back, and that drone strikes continued in the area.

TPLF warns against any movement at Mekelle airport; Getachew Reda calls it "classic terrorist tactics"

The statement accuses the federal government of using the airport to move troops and supplies, a claim Kulu Media says it could not independently verify.

Ethiopian forces take Rama, ACLED says

After Axum, the town of Rama — just 7 km from the Eritrean border — has come under their control.

Ethiopian Red Cross says its ambulance driver was killed in an armed attack in Benishangul-Gumuz

The attack took place on 14 October at Jirsie Mender in Dangur woreda; the society did not name the group behind it.

Ethiopia's federal government sets up a six-month caretaker administration for Tigray and says elections will be held within six months

The Council of Ministers established the administration after a House of Federation resolution; five chief executives were named.

Residents say fighting between federal forces and Fano has intensified in Wollo and Shewa; the Amhara Fano National Movement says it has no military agreement with any other force

DW Amharic says residents of South Wollo, North Wollo and Shewa report that fighting has intensified over the past two weeks. Federal and regional officials have not responded to the accounts.

US Embassy in Addis Ababa says fighting has largely subsided in Tigray, Amhara and Afar and that civil administration is being set up in Tigray

The embassy's security alert of 15 October says federal forces and the Tigray Peace Force have made further territorial gains; the airports at Axum and Shire remain closed.

Ethiopian forces enter Aksum, ACLED says, with Tigray Peace Force fighters alongside them

Rival Tigrayan fighters remained in the mountains around the city, the monitoring group said; the report was carried by Al Jazeera.

Gambella Police impose an open-ended night curfew after an armed attack on Gambella city; civilians killed

Police say federal forces took part in bringing the security situation under control; no group has claimed responsibility.

Human Rights Watch says civilians have been killed by shelling in southern Tigray and some health facilities have closed

Laetitia Bader, the group's deputy Africa director, told the Associated Press it had received reports of casualties and called for independent monitoring, restored communications and safe humanitarian access. The reports could not be independently verified.

Getachew Reda urges the EU to impose targeted sanctions on Eritrea; Eritrea's information minister calls the accusations groundless

Borkena says the adviser to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed made the call after talks with the EU's Horn of Africa envoy and the EU ambassador to Ethiopia.

Abiy Ahmed says he held a phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio; ENA says they discussed bilateral, regional and multilateral issues

ENA says the Ethiopian prime minister spoke with Washington's top diplomat and welcomed an assurance of continued US support for Ethiopia.

Tigray TV says Tigrayan fighters ambushed federal forces twice in the Kola Tembien mountains; the claim is unverified

Tigray TV placed the two attacks near Yechila and Finarwa, south-east of Mekelle. The account comes from a party to the conflict.

Wazema says the Ethiopian army showed foreign military attachés weapons it says were captured in Mekelle, accusing Eritrea and Sudan of supplying them

The outlet said the briefing was held on 13 October at ENDF Ground Forces headquarters, where Maj. Gen. Teshome Gemechu addressed the attachés. Eritrea and Sudan deny any involvement in the conflict.

Ethiopian troops reach Zalambessa on the Eritrean border, Reuters reports

Six sources told the agency federal forces were in the border town by Tuesday; it is not confirmed whether Eritrean troops reported to have crossed there last week are still present.

Suspended DDR programme resumes in Tigray; former fighters hand over weapons and register in Mekelle

UMD Media, citing Mekelle's state FM radio, said the disarmament and demobilisation programme has restarted, with fighters surrendering weapons to Ethiopian army units. Numbers were not disclosed and the report could not be independently confirmed.

Col. Tewolde says Tadesse Werede and his associates escaped rather than being released; the four have reached Mekelle

Col. Tewolde Gebretensae told UMD Media the escape was carried out at Rama on the morning of 12 October. Natna News could not verify the account.

Ethiopia's Somali Regional State speaks publicly for the first time about the Somali soldiers who crossed the border, saying the case is going through legal and diplomatic channels

Regional security bureau head Abdulkadir Rashid Duale says the soldiers arrived in Jigjiga in groups with no clearly defined purpose. Somalia says they were given leave to visit their families.

Five TPLF colonels surrender to the Tigray Peace Force

The surrender took place at Memen in the Enticho zone of northern Tigray.

Abiy Ahmed and Netanyahu hold a telephone call

The call came at a moment of sharply rising military tension between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Ethiopian federal forces enter Adwa without resistance, residents say; Adwa Hospital and government offices looted overnight

Residents told AFP that federal troops and the allied Tigray Peace Force entered the central Tigray town on Sunday 11 October, a day after TPLF-aligned fighters withdrew.

Drone strikes continue close to the Eritrean border

Schools in Gerhu Sirnay and Irob were hit, and a large fire burns on in Kafta Shiraro.

Getachew Reda is met with protest in Raya

He travelled there for his father’s mourning; residents rejected his political appeal, reports say.

Getachew Reda declares the Tigray war over

The region will stay under a federal transitional command for six months, he says.

Abiy Ahmed holds a phone call with Netanyahu; ENA says they discussed bilateral ties and regional developments

The Ethiopian News Agency said the two prime ministers spoke on 12 October, at a time when Ethiopia and Eritrea are accusing one another of launching war.

Getachew Reda promises visible change in Mekelle; intelligence chief Redwan Hussein meets him at the airport

The adviser to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed arrived on the first Ethiopian Airlines flight to Mekelle since 23 September, the Associated Press said.

Tigray forces issue an urgent warning across Ethiopia

Residents of Addis Ababa, Bishoftu, Semera and Bahir Dar are told to keep away from military sites.

Ethiopia's National Rehabilitation Commission names nine reception points in Tigray, calling it a final opportunity for TPLF combatants

Deputy Commissioner Brigadier General Derbie Mekuriaw said the government, the defence force and the commission are ready to receive combatants, and accused a faction within the TPLF of obstructing the process.

Professor Ezekiel: arrogance will cost Prosperity dearly

Population size does not decide sovereignty, he says, urging Ethiopia’s leaders to learn from history.

Abiy Ahmed reappoints Getachew Reda as adviser on East African affairs with the rank of minister

The Prime Minister's Office said in a statement on Saturday that the former Tigray interim president keeps the post with ministerial rank, as Abiy forms his new administration.

Abiy Ahmed appoints 62 state ministers across 22 federal ministries

Fana Media Corporation said the list was released by the Office of the Prime Minister on Saturday, two days after parliament approved the new Council of Ministers.

Tigray Peace Force declares a night curfew in Mekelle

Movement is barred from 8pm to 6am. No interim civil administration has been formed yet, AP reports.

Ethiopian Airlines to resume Mekelle flights on Sunday

Service restarts on 11 October after a three-week suspension, and bookings have already opened.

Ethiopian federal police begin security operations in Mekelle

Patrols started on Friday 9 October, with residents urged to co-operate. No new local administration has been formed.

Amhara Fano National Movement claims ten towns in Shoa, most of them within 150km of Addis Ababa

The claim rests on a Facebook post by the public relations head of the movement's South Front. Borkena said the account had not been independently verified and that the Ethiopian Defence Force had not commented.

ACLED says federal forces have taken Idaga Hamus, Atsibi and Freweyni in eastern Tigray, with Adigrat expected next

Idaga Hamus sits on the main Mekelle-Adigrat road. ACLED said local officials and Tigray forces had begun leaving the town on 7 October. Natna News could not verify the reports.

Ethiopia's rights commission says the right to life and personal security have fallen into an alarming state; its chief commissioner calls the northern violence a localised clash, not a full-scale war

The commission's fifth annual report, covering June 2025 to June 2026, records mass detentions in Amhara including of suspected Fano cells, enforced disappearances in three regions, and abductions for ransom.

Federal forces and allies reported to have taken Abyi Addi in central Tigray

The Tigray Peace Force, fighting alongside the Ethiopian National Defence Force, is reported to have captured the strategic town of Abyi Addi in a new offensive. There is no independently verified information on civilian casualties or displacement.

Ethiopia takes its case against Eritrea to the UN as drone strikes raise tensions

Ethiopia’s foreign ministry said UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed told Dr Gedion Timothewos that Ethiopia has a full right to defend its sovereignty. Eritrea calls the accusations fabricated. Natna News could not verify either side’s claims.

Residents say Tigray forces have withdrawn from Shire; federal troops had not entered the town

Two residents told the Associated Press that fighters left north-western Tigray's main town on Wednesday, and that shops closed as traders moved their goods for fear of looting.

US Embassy in Addis Ababa warns of possible long-range attacks on Ethiopian military installations and tells citizens to leave Amhara, Tigray and Afar

The embassy told Americans not to travel to Amhara, Tigray or Afar for any reason and to stay away from Ethiopian military installations.

Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of a troop incursion and demands an immediate withdrawal

Bloomberg reported that Ethiopia has accused Eritrea of moving troops into northern Tigray and has demanded that they withdraw from Ethiopian territory immediately. Eritrea denies having forces in Tigray.

ACLED says Eritrean forces crossed the border at Zelambesa and that Ethiopian drones struck them at Guada

ACLED's East Africa expert says the troops were hit by ENDF drones while moving by vehicle toward Idaga Hamus. No casualty figures were given and the reports could not be independently verified.

Adigrat residents say Eritrean soldiers in two trucks drove through the town; Yemane Gebremeskel denies any Eritrean presence

Reuters and AFP report witness accounts of Eritrean soldiers at Adigrat, about 25km south of the Eritrean border. Eritrea information minister Yemane Gebremeskel denies that Eritrean forces are there.

UN says a UN agency warehouse and aid groups' stores in Tigray have been looted, disrupting relief work

Food, seeds, fertiliser and water pumps were taken from a UN agency warehouse and from facilities run by local and international aid organisations in Tigray. The UN named no party.

The Guardian says armed groups in Tigray are forcibly recruiting boys as young as 15; the TPLF rejects the accusation

Witnesses said armed men were taking people from streets and public transport stops. The TPLF said participation in the defence of Tigray is voluntary. The claims could not be independently verified.

Ethiopia's National Rehabilitation Commission calls on fighters in Tigray to hand over their weapons and enter demobilisation centres around Mekelle

Deputy Commissioner Brigadier General Derbie Mekuriaw said centres are prepared in and around Mekelle and that fighters may report individually or in organised groups, the Ethiopian News Agency and Fana Broadcasting Corporate reported.

Addis Standard says federal police opened fire on residents in Negele Borana, killing a 17-year-old and wounding six

The newspaper said the shooting followed a police search operation in the Goobicha neighbourhood; a local official said the circumstances are under investigation.

Critical Threats Project says Fano fighters have cut federal supply routes to Mekelle on two highways

The project says the Amhara Fano National Movement took Wurgessa on the A2 highway on 3 October and cut the B21 at Mekane Selam. The claims could not be independently verified.

Federal troops begin withdrawing from Mekelle, falling back toward Kuiha

Reports say the warning Debretsion gave five days ago is now being borne out.

Ethiopia's parliament re-elects Abiy Ahmed prime minister and swears him in for a five-year term; Ahmed Shide elected Speaker

The vote was unanimous, Fana Broadcasting Corporate said, and Ahmed Shide was elected Speaker of the House at the inaugural session of the seventh parliamentary term.

AFP says a drone strike on a displacement camp at Sheraro in north-western Tigray killed at least eight, including a child

An aid worker and a witness told the agency that a mother, four of her children and a grandson were among the dead, and that six people were seriously wounded. The account could not be independently verified and no Ethiopian official has commented.

Abraham Belay says a new interim administration will be set up in Tigray with elections within months, and accuses Eritrean forces of fighting alongside the TPLF

The state-run Ethiopian News Agency says the former president of the Tigray interim administration described a federal plan to build new structures from the village level upward.

Residents say TPLF fighters are leaving Mekelle as federal forces retake the city's airport

The airport, seized by the TPLF on 23 September, lies about 10km from the centre of Mekelle. Neither the federal government nor the TPLF has issued a statement.

US State Department urges Ethiopia and Eritrea to show maximum restraint and return to the 2018 peace framework

The statement says the Horn of Africa cannot sustain another military conflict and humanitarian crisis.

UN Security Council to hold closed consultations on northern Ethiopia

The Reporter Ethiopia says a UN political and peacebuilding affairs official will brief Council members; no date for the consultations has been announced.

Ethiopia warned it could face an unprecedented drought

A water and climate specialist says the cycle has reached what is known as a super El Niño

Analysts say those who fuelled the Horn crisis now present themselves as its mediators

The rupture between Ethiopia, Eritrea and Egypt should not be treated as a surprise, analysts argue

Debretsion says the war has entered a new and decisive phase

The Tigray president said federal forces that entered the region know their way in but not their way out

African Union Commission urges Ethiopia, Eritrea and Egypt to exercise maximum restraint and return to diplomacy

The statement follows Ethiopia's closure of its embassy in Asmara and the expulsion of ten Eritrean diplomats, and Eritrea's severing of diplomatic ties.

Ethiopia orders an Egyptian diplomat out within 48 hours; Egypt orders out a counsellor at Ethiopia's embassy in Cairo

Both sides set 48-hour deadlines. Ethiopia's foreign ministry gave no reason; an Egyptian official said Cairo acted on the principle of reciprocity.

Ethiopia's Somali region council re-elects Mustafa Omer president and Ibrahim Osman Farah vice president

The region's seventh council held its first session in Jigjiga on 1 October. Mubashir Dubad Rage was elected the new speaker.

Ethiopia closes its embassy in Asmara and orders 10 Eritrean diplomats out within 48 hours

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the closure was a response to Eritrea's "direct and indirect acts of hostility and belligerence". Eritrea has not responded.

BBC says at least 52 civilians were killed in three days of fighting around Alamata, with more than 700 wounded

A doctor at Alamata General Hospital told the broadcaster twelve people were killed in a single market strike; the BBC says federal forces control the town.

Ethiopia closes its embassy in Asmara and orders ten Eritrean diplomats out within 48 hours

Ethiopia's foreign ministry says the decision follows "direct and indirect acts of hostility and belligerence by Eritrea"; Eritrea has not responded.

Bloomberg says Ethiopia plans to pull more than 3,000 troops out of Somalia; Somalia says it was given no notice

Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter, reported the withdrawal could begin within days or weeks. A Somali defence ministry official said Ethiopia had given no notice of any pullout.

Bloomberg says two explosions were heard in Addis Ababa as drone flights over the capital are suspended

The agency gave no details of damage or casualties. Ethiopia's security service banned drone flights over Addis Ababa indefinitely on 30 September.

Egypt's foreign minister demands Egypt's Nile water share be doubled and rejects any new dams

Badr Abdelatty spoke at a meeting chaired by President El-Sisi on 29 September; El-Sisi said diplomacy comes first but cannot come at the expense of Egypt's existence.

DW says residents reported 11 killed and 15 wounded at the Alamata market; the claim could not be verified

Deutsche Welle, reporting on 29 September, said residents of Alamata in southern Tigray described artillery fire on the town's Saturday market. It said the accounts could not be independently verified and that the Ethiopian army's spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

Al Jazeera says federal forces have pushed more than 150km into Tigray and taken Mekoni, Wajena and Adi Gudom

Adi Gudom is about 39km from the regional capital Mekelle. The reports could not be independently verified.

Two drone explosions reported at Ethiopia's Bishoftu air force base; senior pilot Kassahun Lema killed

Ethiopia Observer says the blasts happened overnight from Saturday to Sunday at the base 40km south-east of Addis Ababa. The government and the air force have not commented, and the report could not be independently verified.

EU allocates €61 million for Ethiopia as the UN says aid access is severely restricted

The Commission says the money covers food, health care and shelter in four regions, while OCHA says flights, key roads and telephone links are all disrupted.

Tigray forces close to cutting Ethiopia's Djibouti road; at least 150,000 displaced in Afar

A humanitarian source cited by AFP estimates that at least 150,000 people have been displaced in the Afar region since the fighting began.

Analysts say Abiy is using the war to plan a move against Eritrea

Ethiopian political analysts point to three events they say are connected.

Abiy Ahmed receives Somalia's president in Addis Ababa

Villa Somalia says Hassan Sheikh Mohamud made a one-day working visit.

Six US senators urge Rubio to push for a return to Tigray talks and criticise the lapse of sanctions

The letter, released by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, says the Pretoria Agreement is unravelling and cites a drone strike on a vehicle carrying US-funded food aid in north-western Tigray.

UN and AU back Obasanjo's renewed mediation and urge a return to direct talks in northern Ethiopia

The joint communiqué was issued after the two bodies' Joint Task Force on Peace and Security met in New York on 26 September.

Red Cross moves 161 people, including African Union monitors and Ethiopian Airlines staff, from Mekelle to Semera

The ICRC said it acted as a neutral and independent intermediary at the request and with the approval of all the authorities concerned.

MSF says war-wounded at its Korem and Alamata hospitals rose from 180 to more than 420 in four days

The charity also said more than 300 wounded had reached Suhul hospital in Shire by 25 September, and that its work in Alamata has been suspended.

Ethiopia's Council of Ministers approves a redraft of the Defence Forces Proclamation and sends it to parliament

ENA said the cabinet unanimously approved the draft amendment to Defence Forces Proclamation No. 1286/2023 on 28 September and referred it to the House of Peoples' Representatives. The government statement did not say which provisions would change.

Federal troops and Tigray forces fighting on three fronts: the army holds Alamata and Sekota, Tigray forces push into Afar

The fighting, which began on 22 September, has spread across Tigray, Amhara and Afar. Telecommunications and bank accounts in Tigray remain cut.

Explosion heard at Kombolcha airport as flights are suspended

Residents say a heavy blast was heard in the early hours of Monday inside the airport grounds.

Afar president accuses the Eritrean army of taking part in the fighting

Speaking to Al Jazeera, he called for African Union intervention. Eritrea has not responded.

Two of the seven groups named in Ethiopia's new rebel alliance say they are not part of it

ACLED said the Gumuz movement denied membership and that the ONLF said statements in its name came from a faction. The alliance was announced on 21 September with seven groups.

Israel's foreign ministry says it is working to evacuate about 20 Israelis stranded in Lalibela

Flights are cancelled and the town's fuel, food and cash are running low after Tigray forces seized regional airports, the Times of Israel reported.

Al Jazeera says the Ethiopian army has retaken Sekota; federal forces reported closing in on Alamata

Towns are reported changing hands in the Wag Hemra zone of Amhara and on the southern Tigray front.

Sudan and Egypt reject Ethiopian army chief's accusation; Sudan says the RSF was aided from Ethiopian soil

Sudan's army spokesman calls the claims baseless; an Egyptian source says they do not merit a response.

Drone hits Tigrai TV headquarters in Mekelle, taking the station off air

AFP reports no casualties; responsibility for the strike has not been established.

Afar party chief says Tigray forces seized three towns in Zones 2 and 4; AFP told Erebti has fallen

The fighting in northern Ethiopia widens into the Afar region, on the road to the Red Sea and Djibouti.

Rising cost of living in Djibouti squeezes Ethiopian truck drivers on the corridor

The Ethiopian Heavy Truck Drivers Association says prices have risen by up to 45 per cent and the Birr now buys less.

Patriarch Abune Mathias calls for peace at the Meskel Demera in Addis Ababa

The head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church said the message of the Cross is peace, forgiveness and reconciliation.

President Taye presses Ethiopia's case for sea access and Security Council reform at the UN

Ethiopia's president told the General Assembly's general debate that a reliable sea outlet is essential to sustained development, and renewed the call for two permanent African seats.

UN rights chief says five schools in Tigray were hit by airstrikes, urges de-escalation

Volker Türk's office cited airstrikes on schools in Tigray and a mortar strike in Kobo, along with reports of forced recruitment.

Japan urges compliance with the Pretoria Agreement; Britain condemns the Tigray forces' attacks

Both governments called for an immediate end to the hostilities and a return to African Union-led dialogue.

Telecoms and internet cut in Tigray

NetBlocks confirms an internet disruption in northern Ethiopia

Fano says it captured army vehicles and weapons in Amhara

Fighters claim more than 10 military trucks were seized. The claim has not been independently verified.

Ethiopian army chief says forces are answering with wisdom and restraint

In his first public remarks on the fighting, Field Marshal Birhanu Jula signalled the army command prefers strategic calm to a large-scale confrontation.

Wazema reports senior Tigray security officials detained in Mekelle

The report says Lt Gen Tadesse Werede's residence has been under strict security guard since late on 23 September.

Ethiopia presses case for sea access at the UN General Assembly

President Taye Atske-Selassie told the 81st UN General Assembly that Ethiopia cannot sustain development without reliable access to the sea, and renewed Ethiopia's call for Security Council reform.

Ethiopian Orthodox Patriarch calls for peace and reconciliation at Meskel

Patriarch Abune Mathias told the Meskel-Demera celebration that the central message of the Cross is peace, unity, forgiveness and reconciliation.

Ethiopian politician says a war should decisively redraw Eritrea's map

Girma Seifu argues that if Ethiopia is forced into war, the outcome should change the map of Eritrea.

Jawar Mohammed calls the Tigray bank closures collective punishment

The criticism follows reports that the federal government has ordered all bank accounts opened in the Tigray region to be closed.

Djibouti price surge squeezes Ethiopian truck drivers as Yemen war clouds Red Sea route

The Ethiopian Heavy Truck Drivers Association says a sharp rise in prices in Djibouti and a weaker birr are squeezing drivers on the Addis Ababa–Djibouti corridor.

UN rights chief warns Ethiopia against a return to full-scale war

Volker Turk says he is deeply alarmed by the escalation; the UN says airstrikes hit five schools in Tigray and a drone struck a food aid truck.

Young men leaving Tigray over forced-recruitment fears

HRW: Mekelle airstrike should be investigated as a possible war crime

Internet and phone lines cut across Tigray

Fighting spreads into Afar with clashes in Abala

Ethiopian commanders accuse outside powers and vow to reach the Red Sea

Field Marshal Birhanu Jula says foreign forces are backing a new armed coalition; General Abebaw Tadesse says Ethiopia will plant its flag on the Red Sea.

US embassy warns citizens against travel to northern Ethiopia

Heavy fighting is reported around Lalibela; Ethiopian Airlines has suspended flights to the town.

War resumes in northern Ethiopia as the AU, US and IGAD react

After the TPLF and a newly formed armed coalition declared fighting with the federal government, all three bodies issued urgent statements.

Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of funding the armed coalition

Billene Seyoum says Asmara backed the new alliance. Eritrea rejects the claim.

TPLF takes Mekelle airport as flights are suspended

Ethiopian Airlines has halted services to Mekelle, Axum and Shire indefinitely.

UN voices concern over the situation in Ethiopia

Stephane Dujarric: military action will not resolve political differences.