DOMINANT ANGLE
The United States is watching the weakening of Abiy Ahmed's power, who was reelected in June during an election boycotted by the opposition, and is now faced with an alliance of seven armed groups seeking to overthrow him in Addis Ababa.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Ethiopian Airlines has suspended flights to Mekele, Axum, and Shire after the airports were taken (NPR, ABC News)
- 02
ACLED documents Ethiopian drone strikes targeting TPLF officials and forces, focused on Mekele and southern Tigray (NPR)
- 03
Seven armed groups, including the TPLF, formed an alliance on Sunday to overthrow Abiy Ahmed, three days before the takeover of Mekele airport (ABC News)
ANALYSIS
Washington, September 24, 2026. Two American media outlets, NPR and ABC News, draw the same conclusion: Ethiopia is sliding into a new war in Tigray, four years after the 2022 peace agreement. According to NPR, Tigrayan forces have taken control of several airports in the region, while fighting has spread to the neighboring regions of Afar and Amhara. Ethiopian Airlines has suspended its flights to Mekele, Axum, and Shire.
The two sides accuse each other of having triggered the offensive. Getachew Reda, an advisor to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, denounces an "all-out offensive" by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) against government positions. Tigrayan authorities respond that their forces are reacting "defensively" to attacks by federal troops. NPR cites the research organization ACLED (Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project), which documents Ethiopian drone strikes targeting TPLF leaders and forces in recent months, concentrated on Mekele and southern Tigray.
ABC News reports the account of a taxi driver, who remains anonymous for fear of reprisals, according to which the takeover of Mekele airport, usually under federal control, was carried out by lightly armed TPLF fighters without a shot being fired. A commander allegedly ordered him to leave the area, announcing that no more flights would land.
The American press mainly links this escalation to the weakening of the power in Addis Ababa. Abiy Ahmed's Prosperity Party retained power in the general elections in June, which were boycotted by the main opposition groups. Three days before the takeover of the airport, seven groups, including the TPLF, announced the formation of an alliance aimed at overthrowing Abiy Ahmed and establishing a transitional administration.
NPR recalls that the Tigray war (2020-2022) was one of the deadliest conflicts of the recent period, with an estimated toll of around 600,000 deaths, before the November 2022 peace agreement. Since July, drone strikes have been reported in the region, with the Tigrayan government attributing responsibility to federal forces.
