"Rebel Alliance" in Ethiopia to oust PM: Airport seized, fears of renewed civil war

Reports of fighting in northern Ethiopia after Tigrayan rebels seized the main airport in Tigray. The escalation comes days after the declaration of a "rebel alliance" to oust Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, including six other armed groups. Real fear of a renewal of the civil war that ended four years ago.

Ethiopia is reporting fighting today (Wednesday) in the Tigray region in the north of the country, after months of growing tension between the federal government forces of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the Tigrayan rebels. The rebels seized the main airport in the region, in Mekelle, the regional capital, as well as two other airports in Axum and Shire. In response, the federal government halted all flights to the area, and Ethiopian Airlines canceled its flights to Mekelle, Axum, and Shire. Meanwhile, fighting was reported in the neighboring Afar region between forces loyal to the rebels and the federal army. The escalation comes three days after the TPLF, along with six other armed groups, declared an alliance aimed at ousting Prime Minister Abiy. The alliance includes, among others, the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) and the Fano militia from the Amhara region. Abiy's spokesman, Billene Seyoum, accused the alliance of cooperating with Eritrea and receiving funding from it. Experts are divided on whether this marks the start of a full-scale civil war or a show of force intended to call on the international community to intervene.