UN Chief Raises Alarm Over Tigray Fighting as Three Airports Seized

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for an immediate de-escalation of tensions in northern Ethiopia after intensified fighting in and around Tigray and the reported seizure and occupation of airports in Mekelle, Axum and Shire.

In a statement issued on Thursday by his spokesman, Guterres said he was “gravely concerned” by the rapidly deteriorating situation and the spread of hostilities into neighbouring areas.

The UN chief called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint, protect civilians and ensure safe and unhindered access for humanitarian organisations to people in need. He also urged the parties to avoid actions that could lead to a more extensive conflict.

The statement came as Getachew Reda, a former head of Tigray’s interim administration and current adviser to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, also accused the Tigray People’s Liberation Front of launching an “all out offensive” against government positions in Afar and Amhara.

Getachew also said TPLF forces had taken control of federally controlled airports in Tigray, leading to the suspension of flights to and from the region. The Tigray regional government has disputed that account, saying federal forces had launched attacks against Tigray and describing its military response as defensive.

The United Nations did not assign responsibility for the latest fighting in its statement but confirmed reports of intensified hostilities in and around Tigray and their spread into neighbouring areas.

Ethiopian Airlines suspended scheduled flights to Mekelle, Axum and Shire on Wednesday as the security situation deteriorated. Reuters reported that Tigrayan forces had taken control of Mekelle’s Alula Aba Nega International Airport from federal police, citing local sources.

Guterres reiterated his support for African Union efforts to reduce tensions, including the engagement of former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo. He called for the parties to return to talks in good faith under the framework of the November 2022 Pretoria Agreement, which ended the two-year war between federal forces and the TPLF.

The latest escalation follows growing tensions between the federal government and the TPLF and comes days after the TPLF joined six other armed and opposition groups in an alliance seeking to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government. The alliance also includes the Amhara Fano National Movement, which fought alongside federal forces against the TPLF during the 2020–22 war.

The renewed fighting has raised concerns over the durability of the Pretoria peace agreement, which brought an end to large-scale hostilities but left political, territorial and security disputes unresolved. Guterres had previously warned in January that renewed tensions and reported clashes in Tigray were worsening the security environment and could risk a return to wider conflict.

Source: FSX Business News