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Ethiopia’s National Defence Force has claimed that at least 272 fighters of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) were killed in recent fighting.
The army said on Thursday that another 260 Tigray fighters were wounded and several others were arrested during the operation, according to Al Jazeera.
The military said TPLF fighters and their allies launched attacks in several areas of North Wollo, near the Tigray border. Government forces then launched a counteroffensive, inflicting heavy casualties on the rebels, it claimed.
However, TPLF Vice President Amanuel Assefa told AFP that the group was now in a state of full-scale war with the central government. He confirmed that TPLF fighters were fighting alongside local armed groups from Afar and Amhara.
Several days earlier, seven armed groups announced the formation of an alliance aimed at removing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government.
As the conflict escalates, regional air travel has been severely disrupted. Tigray forces have already seized three airports, while an airport near the UNESCO-listed historic site of Lalibela has also been closed.
Addressing the United Nations, Ethiopian President Taye Atske-Selassie blamed external interference for the rising tensions.
Analysts say the conflict has become increasingly complex due to disputes over access to the Red Sea, as well as the involvement of neighbouring Eritrea and spillover effects from Sudan’s civil war.
