{"id":755019,"date":"2026-09-26T09:15:34","date_gmt":"2026-09-26T13:15:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mereja.com\/index\/755019"},"modified":"2026-10-04T14:58:44","modified_gmt":"2026-10-04T18:58:44","slug":"tigray-fighters-enter-sekota-as-wag-hemra-fighting-deepens-abiy-ahmeds-amhara-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.com\/index\/755019","title":{"rendered":"Ethiopian Government forces face fighting in Wag Hemra as Tigrayan fighters reportedly enter Sekota"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Highland<\/p>\n

Fighters aligned with the Tigray People\u2019s Liberation Front and allied forces reportedly entered Sekota on the evening of Friday, September 25. Sekota is the administrative capital of Wag Hemra Zone in Ethiopia\u2019s Amhara region. Kulu Media, an Ethiopian news site, said residents cited in local reporting described units of the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) withdrawing as the fighters entered the town.<\/p>\n

Kulu Media said it could not independently verify who now controls Sekota. It also said it had not verified when a street image from Sekota, shared on social media, was taken.<\/p>\n

The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) confirmed fighting in the area in a September 25 statement. It said fighters deployed by the group calling itself the Tigray People\u2019s Liberation Front crossed into nearby areas of Afar and Amhara from 3:00 a.m. on September 22. The commission said fighting broke out between government security forces and these fighters in Wag Hemra Zone along the Tigray-Amhara border and in Lasta Woreda of North Wollo Zone.<\/p>\n

EHRC Chief Commissioner Berhanu Adello called the fighting deeply concerning. He urged the forces involved, especially the parties that signed the Pretoria Agreement, to honour the agreement and to avoid actions that endanger civilians and infrastructure. He also called on the international community to push the warring parties to return to dialogue. The commission said the conflict is severely affecting people\u2019s right to life, physical security, freedom of movement, and daily activities.<\/p>\n

EHRC also said the seizure of airports in Mekelle, Shire, and Axum since September 22 had halted flights. It said land routes from Tigray to other parts of the country had been completely cut off, which caused shortages of basic goods and higher prices.<\/p>\n

The conflict monitor ACLED named the districts where fighting took place in its September 23 and 24 alerts. ACLED analyst Jalale Getachew Birru wrote that clashes continued in Gazgibela woreda in Wag Hemra and in Gidan, Lasta, and Raya Kobo woredas in North Wollo. Federal army units, Tigray Peace Forces, Amhara Riot Police, and local militia were fighting the Amhara Fano National Movement and the Tigray Defense Forces. ACLED also reported joint attacks by Tigrayan forces and Fano toward Kobo and Tumuga, and clashes along the Zata, Dinqa, and Sekota lines.<\/p>\n

Kulu Media noted that not all Tigrayan units are on the same side. TPLF-aligned fighters are fighting federal forces in parts of Amhara. The Tigray Peace Forces, a rival group made up mostly of former members of the Tigray Defense Forces, have been reported fighting alongside the federal side.<\/p>\n

The army\u2019s claims about enemy deaths have risen quickly, and they have not been confirmed. On September 24, Al Jazeera reported that the ENDF said it had killed at least 272 TPLF fighters in a counteroffensive in northwest Amhara, with another 260 wounded and several captured. By Friday, the army said it had killed more than 700 TPLF fighters in Amhara, according to an Agence France-Presse (AFP) story carried by Dawn on September 26. The army did not give numbers for federal soldiers or civilians.<\/p>\n

Kulu Media separately reported a September 25 ENDF claim of 436 fighters killed, 220 wounded, and 44 captured in another round of fighting. It said it had not independently verified those numbers.<\/p>\n

Kulu Media noted that clashes have also been reported around Gidan, Lasta, and Raya Kobo in North Wollo, and that fighting near Lalibela has disrupted air travel. AFP said heavy fighting broke out in western Tigray at May Gaba and Tselimo, according to ACLED. A humanitarian source in Afar told AFP about heavy overnight fighting and drone strikes around Abala, as federal forces pushed the rebels back from entering the town.<\/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. AFP said an eighth group, the Sidama Liberation Front, said it joined on Friday.<\/p>\n

TPLF vice president Amanuel Assefa told AFP on Thursday, \u201cWe are in the situation of full-blown war now.\u201d ACLED chief executive Clionadh Raleigh said she would not yet say Ethiopia is at war again, but she could not see any \u201cbrakes in the system\u201d to stop the fighting from escalating. \u201cI don\u2019t expect this to go back to a quiet, low-intensity conflict. There are too many interests involved now,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Zegabi reported on September 25 that the web monitor NetBlocks had recorded an internet disruption in northern Ethiopia, matching reports of a telecoms blackout in Tigray. An earlier Zegabi report drew on the Amhara Association of America\u2019s (AAA) September 7 to 13 weekly update, which recorded battles across eight Amhara zones, including North Wollo.<\/p>\n

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres raised the alarm on Friday, AFP reported. His spokesman said he was \u201cparticularly troubled by reports of the use of drones as well as incidents of harm to civilians.\u201d<\/p>\n

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