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

Fighting between Ethiopia's federal army and Tigray forces has spread across three regions since 22 September, ending four years of relative calm under the Pretoria Agreement.

On the southern Tigray front, Reuters reported on 28 September that federal troops and allied militiamen had taken Alamata; two diplomatic sources confirmed the town had fallen, and a source with links to pro-opposition forces said they were retreating. Alamata is a supply hub about 120km south of Mekelle. Al Jazeera had earlier reported that the Ethiopian army had retaken Sekota. Spokespeople for the Ethiopian military and the TPLF did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

According to ACLED, Tigray forces seized the airports at Mekelle, Aksum and Shire on 23 September. In Afar, AFP reported that Erebti fell on 27 September and that the forces were advancing on Afdeera, with a humanitarian source estimating at least 150,000 people displaced in the region. In Amhara, the Ethiopian army said on 24 September that it had killed 272 Tigrayan fighters, a figure that could not be independently verified, while Fano said it had captured army vehicles and weapons.

Médecins Sans Frontières said the war-wounded reaching the hospitals it supports in Korem and Alamata rose from about 180 in the first 48 hours to more than 420 between 22 and 25 September. The UN human rights office said five schools in Tigray were hit by airstrikes. Telecommunications and internet in Tigray have been cut since 24 September, and EEPA reported that bank accounts have been blocked since 25 September.

Ethiopia's army chief, Field Marshal Birhanu Jula, said the army was "fighting forces that are organised and allied to serve the interests of external forces", and accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of backing the armed alliance. All three countries have rejected the accusation.