{"id":754977,"date":"2026-09-25T09:11:27","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T13:11:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mereja.com\/index\/754977"},"modified":"2026-09-28T12:16:38","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T16:16:38","slug":"internet-cuts-hit-northern-ethiopia-as-north-wollo-fighting-pulls-fano-deeper-into-abiy-ahmeds-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.com\/index\/754977","title":{"rendered":"Ethiopian Government forces fight Tigrayan and Fano fighters in North Wollo as internet cuts hit the north"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Highland<\/p>\n

On Friday, September 25, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported heavy fighting on several fronts between Ethiopian federal forces and rebel groups. A near-total disruption of phone and internet services raised fears in Tigray of a return to the blockade of the last civil war. AFP said Tigrayans rushed to buy alternative SIM cards as the networks went down.<\/p>\n

Many people fear a repeat of the 2020 to 2022 conflict, when electricity, banking, and almost all aid were cut off. AFP described that war as one of the deadliest conflicts of recent times, with an estimated death toll of more than 600,000.<\/p>\n

Clashes were also reported on Thursday in North Wollo Zone of the Amhara region, including around Lalibela. The town is a UNESCO World Heritage site known for Ethiopia\u2019s rock-hewn churches. On Thursday, the army said its North Wollo counteroffensive had killed 272 fighters of the Tigray People\u2019s Liberation Front (TPLF) and wounded 260, according to Al Jazeera and Zegabi. By Friday, AFP said, the army claimed it had killed more than 700 TPLF fighters.<\/p>\n

These numbers come from the army\u2019s own statements and have not been independently verified. The army has not given figures for federal soldiers or civilians who were killed.<\/p>\n

The conflict monitor ACLED (Armed Conflict Location and Event Data) named the districts where fighting took place in Amhara. ACLED analyst Jalale Getachew Birru wrote on September 24 that clashes continued in Gazgibela woreda in Wag Hemra Zone. They also continued in Gidan, Lasta, and Raya Kobo woredas in North Wollo. There, federal army units, Tigray Peace Forces, Amhara Riot Police, and local militia fought the Amhara Fano National Movement and the Tigray Defense Forces.<\/p>\n

A humanitarian source in Afar told AFP there was \u201cheavy fighting overnight,\u201d including drone strikes, around the town of Abala. The source said federal forces pushed the rebels back from entering the town and that hundreds of thousands of civilians could be displaced. Analysts cited by AFP said the TPLF appears to be repeating its strategy from the last war of pushing south through Amhara toward Addis Ababa. AFP said the offensive in Afar is likely aimed at cutting supplies from Djibouti, which provides almost all of Ethiopia\u2019s international trade cargo, including fuel.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, September 20, the Ethiopian Peoples\u2019 Forces Alliance for Survival was announced. ACLED, Al Jazeera, and Reuters say it brings together the Amhara Fano National Movement, the TPLF, the Oromo Liberation Army, and groups from the Somali, Afar, and Benishangul-Gumuz regions. TPLF vice president Amanuel Assefa told AFP on Thursday, \u201cWe are in the situation of full-blown war now.\u201d He confirmed that Tigrayan forces were fighting alongside local armed groups in Afar and Amhara.<\/p>\n

Reuters reported that the TPLF faces internal discord even as it gains allies. A member of the family of Tadesse Werede, who commanded Tigrayan forces in the last war, told Reuters that armed men detained four veteran Tigrayan military leaders overnight. The relative said the four, including Tadesse, had expressed doubts about the new war. Reuters also said the TPLF and Fano continue to make competing claims to land that Amhara captured from Tigray during the last war.<\/p>\n

ACLED chief executive Clionadh Raleigh said on Friday that she would not yet say Ethiopia is at war again. She noted that the government declared a state of emergency the day after the 2020 attacks, and that the country is not close to that now. \u201cI don\u2019t expect this to go back to a quiet, low-intensity conflict. There are too many interests involved now,\u201d Raleigh said in ACLED\u2019s September 25 update, words AFP also quoted.<\/p>\n

Jalale Getachew Birru added that the alliance members do not share the same ideology. He said that even if the alliance removed Abiy Ahmed\u2019s government, that would not necessarily bring stability to Ethiopia.<\/p>\n

Ethiopian President Taye Atske Selassie Amde told the UN General Assembly that the country faced \u201cthe forces of destruction and mayhem\u201d and \u201cinterference in our internal affairs by adversarial elements.\u201d The U.S. embassy said it was \u201cdisappointed\u201d with the TPLF offensive, weeks after Washington lifted sanctions linked to the last war. AFP noted that the government has a large arsenal of drones, an army of some 500,000 troops, and outside support, notably from the United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n

Zegabi\u2019s September 24 reports followed the army\u2019s claim of 272 dead in North Wollo and the fighting in Afar. The Amhara Association of America (AAA) is a U.S.-based advocacy group that documents harm to Amhara people. Its September 14 to 20 update, written before this week\u2019s airport seizures, recorded battles in more than 21 woreda or city administrations across 11 Amhara zones, including North Wollo.<\/p>\n

AAA\u2019s September 24 statement said more than 29 Amhara prisoners of conscience are still held in Ethiopia. AAA said they were detained because of their Amhara identity or political views, following protests and fighting that began in April 2023.<\/p>\n

In Mekelle, Samuel Gebreslassie, 37, who works in a spice shop, told AFP, \u201cThere is panic in the community.\u201d He said there was deep fear that banks, telecom networks, electricity, and basic goods could be cut off again. AFP said prices for basic goods had spiked as people rushed to stock up. UN rights chief Volker T\u00fcrk said the internet and telecommunications interruptions were increasing the risks the conflict poses to Ethiopians.<\/p>\n

Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n