How the fighting in Ethiopia spread beyond Tigray, in maps and charts

Fighting is intensifying crossed bluish Ethiopia, astir 4 years aft a bid woody ended a devastating two-year warfare successful the country’s Tigray region.

The struggle has besides dispersed into the neighbouring Amhara and Afar regions. Government-aligned forces accidental they captured the strategical municipality of Alamata, Tigray, connected September 28, portion Tigrayan forces person pushed into Afar.

Telecommunications person been chopped crossed overmuch of Tigray and commercialized flights person been suspended, separating families and hampering humanitarian operations.

Ethiopia’s service main has accused Eritrea, Sudan’s service and Egypt of backing the equipped groups, raising fears of a wider determination war. All countries person denied the allegations, with Egypt adding that it strictly respects the sovereignty of neighbouring states.

In this ocular explainer, Al Jazeera maps wherever the warring is, who is progressive and however Ethiopia got here.

Where is the warring happening?

Fighting is concentrated successful 3 regions successful bluish Ethiopia: Tigray, Amhara and Afar. There are respective progressive fronts alternatively than a azygous battlefield.

In confederate Tigray, authorities forces and their allies person taken Alamata, a strategical municipality astir 120km (75 miles) southbound of the determination capital, Mekelle.

The municipality is simply a proviso hub for troops, substance and nutrient adjacent Tigray’s borderline with Amhara.

On September 22, betwixt 15 and 17 drone strikes deed Alamata, including respective schools and a hospital, according to the struggle show ACLED.

To the west, a abstracted beforehand has opened adjacent the Tekeze River successful occidental Tigray, an country disputed betwixt Tigray and Amhara.

Fighting has besides dispersed into bluish Amhara, astir Kobo and Gidan successful North Wello portion and Sekota successful Wag Hemra zone, which authorities forces retook connected September 27.

Further east, Tigrayan forces and the Afar equipped radical Ugugumo person precocious into Afar, wherever warring has been reported on the Tigray-Afar borderline and astir Erebti and Abala.

The beforehand matters due to the fact that it could endanger the Semera-Djibouti corridor, Ethiopia’s main way for imports, including fuel.

Which main groups are fighting?

Seven Ethiopian equipped and governmental groups announced an alliance connected September 20 aimed astatine removing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s authorities and establishing an inclusive transitional government.

The radical is called the Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival, oregon the Alliance for Survival. Its members include:

The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF): The alliance’s main subject force, whose fighters launched the latest offensive. It dominated Ethiopian authorities for astir 3 decades earlier Abiy took bureau successful 2018. War broke retired betwixt the TPLF and national forces successful November 2020.

The Amhara Fano National Movement: A conjugation of Fano factions that turned against Abiy’s authorities successful 2023, aft warring alongside national forces during the Tigray war.

The Oromo Liberation Army (OLA): It has fought national forces successful Oromia since 2018, seeking greater self-determination for the Oromo.

The different groups named successful the confederation are the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front (also known arsenic Ugugumo), the Benishangul Peoples’ Liberation Movement and the Gumuz Peoples’ Democratic Movement. On September 25, the Sidama National Liberation Front announced that it would besides join.

The alliance’s rank is contested. According to Jalale Getachew Birru, elder East Africa expert astatine ACLED, the Gumuz Peoples’ Democratic Movement has denied joining, saying it has nary equipped wing. The ONLF is split: 1 faction backs the alliance, portion different says it is not portion of it. The OLA has indicated that its main involvement is removing the authorities alternatively than joining coordinated subject operations.

ACLED says lone 3 members, the TPLF, the Amhara Fano National Movement and Ugugumo, were actively warring national forces arsenic of September 26.

In its founding statement, the confederation accused the authorities of “dictatorial rule”. It said a transitional authorities would extremity the country’s wars, support rights and unfastened a nationalist dialogue.

What are the regions of Ethiopia?

Ethiopia is simply a landlocked state successful the Horn of Africa, bordered by Eritrea, Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya, Somalia and Djibouti. With astir 139 cardinal people, it is Africa’s second-most populous state aft Nigeria.

It is besides 1 of the world’s astir ethnically divers countries, with much than 80 groups. The Oromo are the largest, making up astir 35 percent of the population, followed by the Amhara astatine astir 24 percent. Other large groups see Somali (7 percent), Tigrayan (6 percent) and Sidama (4 percent).

Ethiopia is divided into 12 determination states and 2 chartered cities, Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa. The national system, introduced successful 1992 and formalised successful the 1994 constitution, mostly follows taste and linguistic divisions.

How did we get here?

The renewed warring stems from governmental and territorial tensions near unresolved pursuing Ethiopia’s 2020-2022 Tigray war. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the national authorities stay divided implicit governmental control, information and disputed territory.

Tensions person been gathering for months. According to the struggle show ACLED, clashes betwixt Tigrayan and national forces began adjacent the Sudanese borderline connected August 1, followed by national drone strikes and Tigrayan unit deployments.

Vehicles carrying equipped men thrust on a thoroughfare successful Alamata, Ethiopia, aft a pro-government militia said that Ethiopia’s subject and allied fighters had captured the town, successful this screengrab from a societal media video released connected September 28, 2026 [Social media via Reuters]

In September, Tigrayan forces moved tanks and artillery south. There were besides reports of renewed recruitment and forced mobilisation successful Tigray.

On September 20, the TPLF and six different equipped and governmental groups announced the Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival, which aims to overthrow Abiy’s authorities and instal a transitional administration.

Three days later, connected September 23, warring escalated sharply. Tigrayan forces seized the airports successful Mekelle, Axum and Shire and pushed into neighbouring Afar and Amhara. The authorities says the TPLF launched an “all-out offensive”. The TPLF says it is warring a “defensive war” and accuses national forces of attacking with aircraft, drones and artillery.