Ethiopia war: Internet disrupted in Tigray

Internet and phone services in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region have been severely disrupted this week after fresh fighting erupted between Tigrayan forces and the national army, according to BBC News.

Connectivity provided by the state-run operator Ethio Telecom has been cut entirely, though services from the smaller private provider Safaricom are still functioning, the BBC reported. The monitoring organization NetBlocks said network data pointed to a shutdown affecting northern Tigray specifically.

An American aid worker based in the regional capital, Mekelle, told the BBC that telecommunications went down overnight, describing the loss as a serious blow given that residents have already been struggling with a shortage of cash for months, with limited access to ATMs. He warned that losing internet access would be especially damaging, since many people depend on mobile banking apps run through Ethio Telecom and Safaricom to carry out everyday transactions.

According to sources who spoke to Reuters, the shutdown was ordered by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the group that controls the region, with one source suggesting the move was intended to interfere with government drone operations. The TPLF has not issued any public comment on the claim, and BBC News said it had asked Ethiopian authorities for a response.

Reporting from inside Tigray remains extremely limited. The BBC said it has been unable to send journalists into the region or nearby areas, and that verifying events on the ground was difficult even before this week's disruption, with most footage circulating online originating from outside Tigray rather than from within it.

The latest violence began on Wednesday, when clashes broke out between Tigrayan forces and allied groups against Ethiopia's federal military, raising concerns that the country could slide back into full-scale civil war. Reports have emerged of panic buying in affected areas as residents brace for further instability.

In neighboring Afar region, a humanitarian source told AFP that intense fighting took place overnight near the town of Abala, located in mountainous terrain bordering Tigray, including drone strikes as federal forces worked to stop rebel fighters from advancing into the town.

The renewed conflict comes after the TPLF announced on Sunday that it had formed an alliance with six other armed groups with the stated aim of removing the current government. By Wednesday, TPLF forces reportedly seized control of three airports from federal police. In response, Ethiopian Airlines canceled all flights to Tigray. There are also unverified reports that TPLF-aligned forces have carried out attacks in the neighboring Amhara region as well as Afar.

The situation has revived painful memories of Ethiopia's previous civil war in Tigray, which lasted two years and ended in 2022. During that conflict, the region was completely isolated from the outside world, and restricted access to cash, food and medicine pushed hundreds of thousands of people into famine-like conditions. The war is regarded as one of the deadliest conflicts of this century, with estimates suggesting around 600,000 people died as fighting pushed the region to the edge of famine, according to BBC News.