Tigray civilians hoard supplies as renewed fighting threatens full-scale war

Tigrayan fighters captured three local airports and, alongside allied groups, launched attacks in the Afar and Amhara regions, marking the most serious escalation since the 2020-22 war. In reaction, civilians in Mekelle and the border town of Adigrat began panic-buying food, cash and essential medicines, noting dwindling stocks and soaring prices. Residents reported drones buzzing overhead, street patrols, and forced recruitment of young men.

The United Nations and European Union called for immediate de-escalation and a return to the African Union-brokered peace talks that previously ended a conflict that killed hundreds of thousands. Addis Ababa accuses the Tigray People’s one outlet Front of initiating a major offensive, while the TPLF claims it is fighting a defensive war against federal drones, artillery and ground forces. The renewed hostilities risk further destabilising an already volatile Horn of Africa, strained by Ethiopia-Eritrea tensions, Sudan’s civil war and Red Sea disputes.