UK condemns attacks in Ethiopia after Tigray forces seize airports

The UK has condemned attacks by Tigray forces across Ethiopia's northern region this week, with fears that another civil war could break out.

Residents in the Tigray region have been stocking up on essential supplies after the Tigray Defence Forces seized three local airports and launched attacks in the nearby Afar and Amhara regions with allies this week.

It's the most violent clash between Tigrayan and Ethiopian forces since the civil war between 2020 and 2022, which saw at least 100,000 killed and almost a million displaced, according to human rights groups.

In a statement, a UK government spokesperson said: "We condemn the attacks by the Tigray Defence Forces in Afar and southern Tigray, and the takeover of Tigray's airports following the removal of legitimate federal authorities.

"All parties must refrain from further escalation."

The spokesperson added that the renewed fighting "risks devastating consequences for people in Tigray and across the region, especially women and girls", calling for an immediate ceasefire and return to African Union-led mediation.

Ethiopia has accused the region's rulers, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), of launching a major offensive after the attacks - with local newspaper Addis Standard reporting they seized the Mekelle, Axum and Shire/Indaselassie airports.

TPLF leaders said, however, they had entered a "defensive" war to counter aggression by the federal government, which they said had used drones, artillery and ground forces against them.

In Mekelle, the capital of Tigray, a resident told the Reuters news agency that people had started hoarding food and withdrawing cash in anticipation of a return to civil war conditions.

They added that Tigrayan forces patrolled the streets and drones buzzed overhead.

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TPLF in alliance to overthrow PM

Recently, the TPLF allied with six other armed groups from across the country - including former civil war enemies from the neighbouring Amhara region and from the Somali Region in the south - to create the Alliance for Survival coalition, aiming to overthrow Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

Mr Ahmed claimed there had been airstrikes on military targets in Tigray on Friday amid the fallout between its leaders and the government, and vowed there would be further bombing of the region.

The Ethiopian government has also accused Eritrea of financially backing Alliance for Survival members, allegations the neighbouring country in what's called the Horn of Africa has denied.

Thousands of refugees and 'rape as weapon'

Civil war erupted earlier this decade after years of tension when the Tigray region voted in a local election that Ethiopia's federal government deemed illegal, as it delayed other federal votes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The TPLF argued the delay of elections was unconstitutional, while the Ethiopian government responded to the local election by slashing funding to Tigray - which its leaders said was an act of war.

Ethiopia's government then voted to remove the Tigray regional leaders after airstrikes were carried out in November 2020, leading to an all-out conflict.

Both sides were accused of committing human rights abuses, as were Eritrean forces, which struck into neighbouring Tigray.

Sky News' international correspondent John Sparks reported at the time that rape was used as a weapon in the region throughout the conflict.

Two years after the war broke out, both Ethiopian and Tigrayan leaders formally agreed to a permanent cessation of hostilities after peace talks mediated by the African Union.

(c) Sky News 2026: UK condemns attacks in Ethiopia after Tigray forces seize airports