{
  "id": 10436060,
  "title": "Tigray rebels push into Afar as Ethiopia blames neighbours",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/tigray-rebels-push-into-afar-as-ethiopia-blames-neighbours",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-28T11:46:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Euronews",
    "slug": "euronews",
    "url": "https://www.euronews.com/2026/09/28/tigray-rebels-push-into-afar-as-ethiopia-blames-neighbours"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) has made significant advances in Ethiopia, pushing into the neighboring Afar region, as fighting continues in the north of the country. The clashes since Wednesday have reignited fears of a return to the 2020-2022 war, which resulted in an estimated 600,000 deaths.\n\nThe TPLF has seized airports and launched attacks into the Afar and Amhara regions, claiming they are engaged in a \"defensive war\" against the federal government led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. The rebels have seized control of Tigrai TV's headquarters in Mekelle and are causing communication disruptions, making it difficult to report on the conflict.\n\nAt least 150,000 people have been displaced in Afar, according to a humanitarian source, but precise numbers are hard to come by. The Afar town of Erebti, near the border with Tigray, fell to the rebels on Sunday after being hit by heavy artillery. The TPLF is advancing towards the town of Afdeera, about 100 kilometers to the east.\n\nEthiopia's army chief Field Marshal Birhanu Jula accused neighboring Egypt, Eritrea, and Sudan of backing the TPLF and its allied groups. Sudan rejected these allegations, stating they are \"baseless\" and that Sudan is committed to international law and good-neighbourly relations. The TPLF has allied with six other armed groups in Ethiopia, aiming to overthrow Abiy's government and install a transitional administration.\n\nThe Pretoria Peace Agreement ended the war in 2020 but tensions have flared again. The UN has expressed concern over the use of drones and harm to civilians, while the African Union has called for \"utmost restraint\" and the immediate resumption of talks within the agreement. Ethiopia's government sees the renewed fighting as manageable, with its crucial trade corridor through Djibouti remaining open.",
  "summary": "The TPLF advanced toward Afdeera after taking Erebti, with at least 150,000 people feared displaced in Afar alone. The offensive targets the Djibouti corridor, through which almost all of Ethiopia's international trade flows, giving the rebels potential leverage over the federal government.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "Al Jazeera reports from near front line in Ethiopia’s Afar region",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/al-jazeera-reports-from-near-front-line-in-ethiopias-afar-region",
        "published": "2026-09-28T09:44:14.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}