Ethiopia

Addis-Abeba, 24 September 2026. For the Ethiopian press close to the government, the offensive launched on Wednesday by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) is not a defensive war but a unilateral breach of the Pretoria peace. Tigrayan forces have taken control of the airports in Mekele, Axum, and Shire, previously held by the federal police, and have extended the fighting to Afar and Amhara alongside local armed groups, forcing Ethiopian Airlines to suspend its flights to these three cities.

In Addis-Abeba, the focus is on defections. Fana BC reports that Major General Gebre Adhana, former commissioner of the Tigray regional police and a TPLF veteran, has broken with what the Ethiopian authorities call an "illegal" group to join the federal government. His decision is presented as a consequence of the TPLF's recruitment of child soldiers, an accusation repeated by federal media.

International support for Abiy Ahmed's executive is also being highlighted. US Ambassador Ervin Massinga has denounced an "unwinnable" offensive and deemed regrettable the TPLF's decision, already sanctioned this year by Washington, to reject the African Union's mediation led by former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo. He warned that the United States "has the tools necessary to sanction other officials who are pushing Ethiopia in the wrong direction," while calling for a political dialogue.

The European Union, on the other hand, is calling for an immediate de-escalation and a return to the permanent cessation of hostilities agreement, while expressing concern over the drone strikes carried out by the Ethiopian national defense forces against Tigrayan positions. Brussels insists on respect for humanitarian law and condemns any obstruction of aid.

As the TPLF now speaks of a "total war" and claims an alliance with six other armed groups aiming to overthrow Addis-Abeba, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, for his part, continued his agenda on Wednesday: he returned to the capital after participating in the launch of the Ethiopia-Djibouti oil pipeline, a sign, for the federal press, that the state remains in control of its calendar despite the crisis. Four years after the Pretoria agreement, which was supposed to end a war that had claimed around 600,000 lives, it is this continuity of central power, more than the extent of the fighting, that the Addis-Abeba press chooses to emphasize.