Ethiopia War: Live Tracker
The fighting between Ethiopia's federal government and an alliance led by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) is moving fast. This page records what has been reported, who reported it, and how sure we are. We update it at least once a day while the fighting continues.
Last updated 3 Oct 2026, 08:08 EAT
- Fighting between federal forces and an opposition alliance led by the TPLF began around 22 and 23 September. It is the biggest escalation since the 2020-2022 war.
- The opposition coalition is called the Ethiopian Peoples' Forces Alliance for Survival, or the Alliance for Survival. Mada Masr calls it a coalition. It groups the TPLF and six other armed groups.
- Federal and allied forces are advancing on Mekelle, the Tigray capital. Reports of how close they are differ, and none is independently verified.
- Explosions were heard in Addis Ababa overnight on 30 September and 1 October. No authority has said what caused them.
- Ethiopia and Eritrea cut diplomatic ties on 1 October. Each side blames the other.
- Phone and internet service went down across Tigray on 25 September, and Mekelle residents still reported disrupted services on 1 October.
- Earlier fighting has killed, injured and displaced thousands, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. A European monitoring group reports 14 civilians killed in air strikes on Alamata. Neither figure is independently confirmed.
- Ethiopia's army says it killed 272 Tigrayan fighters in North Wollo on 24 September. That is a government claim and has not been independently verified.
Where things stand: a map of reported positions
- Tigray region, held by the TPLF (reported)
- Area reported taken by government-allied forces
- Western Tigray, disputed territory; Amhara forces have held it since the last war (approximate area)
- Fighting or contact reported here (approximate)
- Claim by one party, unverified
- 1 Mekelle. Held by the TPLF. Government-allied forces are reported 20 to 40 km away.
- 2 Axum. Its airport was seized by TPLF forces on 23 September, the African Union said.
- 3 Shire. Its airport was seized by TPLF forces on 23 September, the African Union said.
- 4 Alamata. Reported taken by government-allied forces on 28 September.
- 5 Government forces were reported about 40 km from Mekelle on 1 October, Al Jazeera said. Approximate.
- 6 The government-allied Tigray Peace Forces said they took Milazat, about 20 km southeast of Mekelle, on 2 October. A claim, not confirmed. Approximate.
- 7 Afar border area. Government forces say they retook Abala and Erebti. Al Jazeera's reporter said the fight was still going on. Approximate.
- 8 Mappers and pro-rebel sources said rebels captured Dallol district on 29 September. Not independently confirmed.
Sources: Al Jazeera · Al Jazeera, Alamata · Reuters via CNBC Africa · Critical Threats · Al Jazeera, African Union · Al Jazeera, Western Tigray · Al Jazeera analysis, via Martin Plaut
The fronts
Mekelle approach
ClaimedContested. Claims differ.
Al Jazeera reported government forces about 40 km from Mekelle on 1 October. On 2 October a pro-government militia, the Tigray Peace Forces, said it had taken Milazat, about 20 km southeast of the city. Residents say banks and shops closed. A diplomatic source told Reuters senior TPLF leaders had already left.
As of 2 Oct
Sources: Reuters via CNBC Africa · Al Jazeera
Southern Tigray (Alamata)
ReportedTaken by government forces and allies.
Al Jazeera and Chatham House both report that government forces and allied militia took Alamata, about 120 km south of Mekelle.
As of 2 Oct
Sources: Al Jazeera · Chatham House
Afar-Tigray border
ClaimedDisputed.
Critical Threats reports that Tigrayan forces and the Afar group Ugugumo took Abala on 22 September. Government forces told Reuters they have since recaptured Erebti and Abala. Al Jazeera's reporter said the fight for the towns was still going on. The governor of Afar says Eritrean forces are fighting in the region and control two-thirds of it. Eritrea had not responded.
As of 1 Oct
Sources: Critical Threats · Al Jazeera
Amhara region
ReportedActive fighting.
ACLED, a conflict-monitoring group, counts the Amhara Fano movement among the three groups actively fighting federal forces as of 26 September. Pro-government forces say early opposition gains in Amhara and Afar have been largely reversed. That is their claim.
As of 2 Oct
Sources: Al Jazeera · Reuters via CNBC Africa
Addis Ababa
UnconfirmedExplosions heard. Cause not confirmed.
An intelligence official confirmed three blasts in three places. Authorities have not said what caused them. The city has an indefinite drone ban. ACLED said it had confirmed reports of a possible drone-related blast at the air force headquarters in Bishoftu on 26 September and believes the alliance carried out suicide drone strikes at Kombolcha and near Bahir Dar.
As of 1 Oct
Sources: AP via WTOP · EEPA (European External Programme with Africa) report
Eritrea and the border
ConfirmedDiplomatic ties cut. Troop involvement alleged, denied.
Ethiopia closed its Asmara embassy and expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats on 1 October. Eritrea cut all ties. A pro-government militia commander told the BBC that Eritrean soldiers were on the front lines. Eritrea denies backing the alliance. A monitoring group reported on 24 September that Eritrean troops had advanced into Western Tigray. That is unconfirmed.
As of 2 Oct
Sources: Al Jazeera · BBC via Yahoo News · EEPA (European External Programme with Africa), report no. 764
Civilians and communications
ReportedServices disrupted. No confirmed totals.
Phone and internet service went down across Tigray on 25 September, reportedly to stop government forces using networks to operate drones. Al Jazeera reported thousands fleeing Mekelle, and young men leaving Tigray for Addis Ababa to avoid forced recruitment. Residents told AP that communication and banking were disrupted. We have found no independently confirmed figures for casualties or displacement. Humanitarian sources estimate that 150,000 people are displaced in Afar, according to EEPA.
As of 1 Oct
Sources: Council on Foreign Relations · Al Jazeera
Regional diplomacy
ReportedSomalia's president is courted by both camps.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud met Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in Addis Ababa on 29 September, went to Djibouti, and arrived in Egypt's New Alamein on 2 October for the Alamein Africa Forum, which runs from 2 to 4 October alongside the African Union's mid-year coordination meeting on 4 October. The organisers' list names the presidents of Algeria, Angola, Burundi, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Libya, Senegal, Somalia and South Africa, plus host President Sisi. The forum's website also lists Djibouti's President Guelleh and Uganda's President Museveni. Neither Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki nor Sudan's army chief Burhan appears on the organisers' lists we found. Dawan and other Somali outlets report a closed meeting of Sisi, Isaias, Burhan and Hassan Sheikh is expected, and a Dawan editorial put it around Saturday 3 October. No official source has confirmed it.
As of 3 Oct
Sources: AllAfrica (organisers' press release) · Alamein Africa Forum · Dawan · Dawan editorial · FTL Somalia
What we cannot verify
- Who fired first around 22 and 23 September. The government and the TPLF give opposite accounts.
- Who caused the explosions in Addis Ababa, and whether anything was damaged.
- Whether the TPLF has been defeated, as a government-allied militia claims. The TPLF says it will counter-attack.
- Exactly where the front lines are, and who holds the approaches to Mekelle.
- Whether Eritrean troops are fighting. A militia commander says so. Eritrea denies it.
- How many people have been killed or displaced since 22 September.
- Which foreign states, if any, are supplying weapons. Claims circulate. We have not found confirmed reporting, and we are not repeating them.
- Whether the closed meeting between Sisi, Isaias Afwerki, Burhan and Hassan Sheikh takes place, when, who attends, and what is discussed. Reports point to around 3 October. Nothing has been officially announced.
- Why Hassan Sheikh Mohamud visited Addis Ababa and Djibouti. Observers link the trips to security in South West State and Hiiraan, but no official source has said so.
- Whether the alliance has armed drones. ACLED believes it carried out suicide drone strikes at Kombolcha and near Bahir Dar, but has not confirmed who launched them.
Timeline
- 2 OctClaimed
The pro-government Tigray Peace Forces said they captured Milazat, about 20 km southeast of Mekelle. Residents told Reuters that banks and shops in Mekelle were closed. A diplomatic source said senior TPLF leaders had already left the city and that the conflict would probably go on even if federal forces took it.
Sources: Reuters via CNBC Africa
- 2 OctClaimed
The Tigray Peace Forces commander said late on Thursday that TPLF forces had been wiped out. Al Jazeera could not verify the claim. TPLF chairperson Debretsion Gebremichael acknowledged that federal forces had occupied parts of Tigray and said his forces would counter-attack.
Sources: Al Jazeera
- 2 OctReported
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud arrived in New Alamein, Egypt, for the Alamein Africa Forum, which runs from 2 to 4 October. Organisers listed the presidents of Algeria, Angola, Burundi, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Libya, Senegal, Somalia and South Africa, plus host President Sisi. A private meeting with Sisi, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki and Sudanese army chief Burhan was expected, possibly around 3 October, according to Somali outlets and a Dawan editorial. Isaias and Burhan are not on the organisers' lists we found, and their attendance had not been publicly confirmed. Abiy was not among the leaders listed.
Sources: AllAfrica (organisers) · Dawan · Dawan editorial · FTL Somalia
- 1 OctConfirmed
Ethiopia closed its embassy in Asmara and ordered 10 Eritrean diplomats to leave within 48 hours, citing hostility and suspected drone attacks on Addis Ababa. Eritrea cut all diplomatic ties the same evening. Ethiopia accuses Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of backing the opposition alliance, which they deny. Ethiopia also ordered an Egyptian diplomatic staff member to leave. The African Union urged restraint.
Sources: Al Jazeera · Bloomberg · Time News
- 1 OctClaimed
Government forces told Reuters they had recaptured the Afar towns of Erebti and Abala near the Tigray border. Al Jazeera's reporter in the area said the fight for the towns was still going on.
Sources: Al Jazeera
- 1 OctReported
Al Jazeera reported government forces had advanced to about 40 km from Mekelle. The TPLF had pulled its fighters back to new positions, and some of its leaders had left the city.
Sources: Al Jazeera
- 30 Sep to 1 Oct, overnightUnconfirmed
Explosions were heard in Addis Ababa, including near the military headquarters. An intelligence official confirmed three blasts in three places and gave no further detail. Authorities have not said what caused them, and one resident said it was unclear whether they were part of military exercises. A source linked to the opposition alliance told Reuters it had carried out drone strikes, including on the military headquarters. Witnesses told Reuters they saw no visible damage near the base. If the strikes are confirmed, they would be the first known drone attack by anti-government forces on the capital.
Sources: AP via WTOP · Reuters via Arab News · Mada Masr
- Late Sep to 1 OctReported
Chatham House reports that, after the military offensive began, senior TPLF officials were reportedly arrested or defected to Addis Ababa. It describes deep division inside the TPLF.
Sources: Chatham House
- 1 OctReported
Six US senators urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to press all sides toward a peaceful resolution. Pope Leo XIV urged all parties to end the armed confrontation and resume dialogue.
Sources: EEPA (European External Programme with Africa) report no. 766, via Martin Plaut
- 30 Sep to 1 OctClaimed
The governor of Afar told Al Jazeera that Eritrean forces are fighting directly in the region and control two-thirds of it. Eritrea had not responded to the claim.
Sources: EEPA (European External Programme with Africa) report no. 766, via Martin Plaut
Earlier entries (26)
- 30 SepConfirmed
Ethiopia's National Intelligence and Security Service banned all drone flights in Addis Ababa and surrounding areas indefinitely. It said unauthorised drones would be electronically disrupted or captured and operators prosecuted.
Sources: EEPA (European External Programme with Africa) report · Mada Masr
- 30 SepReported
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud travelled to Djibouti the day after meeting Abiy. Details of any discussion about Ethiopian forces in Somalia were not made public.
Sources: Garowe Online
- 30 SepConfirmed
Voting began in Galmudug, in a repeat election ordered by the Supreme Court, and in Hirshabelle, in simultaneous local council and state assembly elections run by the National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.
Sources: Dawan
- 29 to 30 SepReported
EEPA, citing residents, reported heavy drone strikes in the town of Maychew on 29 September and an airstrike in Axum on the morning of 30 September that sent students home from school.
Sources: EEPA (European External Programme with Africa) report no. 766, via Martin Plaut
- 29 SepConfirmed
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud met Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in Addis Ababa on a one-day working visit, Villa Somalia said. Talks covered relations and the security situation in the region.
Sources: Hiiraan Online · Somali Guardian
- 29 SepClaimed
Dawan, citing a senior diplomatic source, reported that the meeting was Abiy's idea. It also quoted an unnamed diplomat in Hassan Sheikh's delegation as saying Abiy told Hassan that Egypt, Sudan and Eritrea had resolved to destroy Ethiopia. We have not verified the remark, and Egypt, Sudan and Eritrea reject accusations that they back the rebels.
Sources: Dawan editorial
- 29 SepClaimed
Open-source mappers and pro-rebel sources reported that rebel forces captured Dallol district, about 115 miles northeast of Mekelle on the Eritrean and Tigray borders. This is not independently confirmed.
Sources: Critical Threats
- 26 to 29 SepReported
At least 52 people were killed in Alamata in heavy fighting between 26 and 29 September, EEPA reported, citing the BBC. Medecins Sans Frontieres said hospitals in Korem and Alamata received 420 wounded people between 22 and 25 September, and 300 people were admitted to a hospital in Shire.
Sources: EEPA (European External Programme with Africa) report no. 766, via Martin Plaut
- 28 to 29 SepReported
ACLED said suicide drone strikes are believed to have been carried out by the Alliance for Survival on a fuel depot at Kombolcha airport on 28 September and on an air force base near Bahir Dar on 29 September. It said that, if the alliance has armed drones, they could change the course of the war.
Sources: ACLED, via Martin Plaut
- 28 SepReported
The Tigray Peace Forces said they captured Alamata, about 120 km south of Mekelle. Two diplomatic sources told Reuters the town had fallen, while a source linked to the opposition forces said they were retreating. Chatham House also lists Alamata among key areas the TPLF lost.
Sources: Al Jazeera · Chatham House
- 28 SepReported
The Red Cross evacuated 161 people from Mekelle to Semera in Afar. They included federal police officers and their families, Ethiopian Airlines staff, African Union observers and civil aviation security staff.
Sources: EEPA (European External Programme with Africa) report no. 766, via Martin Plaut
- 27 SepReported
Ethiopia's army chief accused Eritrea, Sudan's army and Egypt of backing the armed groups, and the army said it would show restraint. All three countries deny the accusation, and Egypt said it strictly respects its neighbours' sovereignty.
Sources: Al Jazeera · Al Jazeera maps
- 26 to 27 SepReported
ACLED said it had confirmed reports of a possible drone-related blast at the air force headquarters in Bishoftu on 26 September. EEPA reported that ethnic Tigrayan and Amhara workers at the Bishoftu air force base were being arrested after strikes there on 26 and 27 September.
Sources: ACLED, via Martin Plaut · EEPA (European External Programme with Africa) report no. 766, via Martin Plaut
- 25 SepReported
Internet and phone service went down across Tigray. Reuters reported the TPLF asked service providers to take their services down, reportedly to stop government forces from using networks to operate drones.
Sources: Council on Foreign Relations, citing Reuters · Soufan Center, citing Reuters
- 24 SepReported
TPLF Vice President Amanuel Assefa told AFP the region was in full-blown war, with Tigrayan forces fighting alongside local armed groups in Afar and Amhara.
- 24 SepClaimed
A situation report from the European External Programme with Africa relayed reports of 21 air strikes by drones and MiG aircraft on Alamata that killed 14 civilians, and said Eritrean troops had advanced into Western Tigray. Neither claim is independently confirmed. Eritrea denies backing the opposition alliance.
Sources: EEPA (European External Programme with Africa), report no. 764
- 24 SepClaimed
Ethiopia's army said it killed 272 Tigrayan fighters and wounded 260 in a counter-offensive in North Wollo. The TPLF's army said the federal government had launched a full-scale offensive with infantry, mechanised units and drones. Neither claim has been independently verified.
Sources: Al Jazeera · Al Jazeera
- 24 SepConfirmed
IGAD, the East African regional bloc, called for an immediate end to the fighting and a return to the 2022 Pretoria agreement. The EU said Ethiopian drone strikes had worsened the humanitarian situation and condemned attacks on aid convoys. The UN expressed concern about the new armed coalition and reports of drone attacks.
Sources: IGAD statement · EU statement · Al Jazeera
- 23 SepConfirmed
TPLF forces seized the airports at Mekelle, Axum and Shire. The African Union said they detained federal personnel. Civil flights were disrupted.
Sources: Al Jazeera, citing the African Union · Chatham House
- 23 SepClaimed
Tigray's regional government said federal forces had invaded and that it had entered a defensive war. Getachew Reda, an adviser to Abiy, said the TPLF had seized the airports and launched an all-out offensive on government positions in Afar and Amhara. Ethiopia's president told the UN General Assembly that outside actors were to blame.
Sources: Reuters via US News · Africanews
- 22 SepReported
Tigrayan forces and the Afar armed group Ugugumo captured Abala, a district capital about 30 miles east of Mekelle, according to Critical Threats. Government forces later said they retook it.
Sources: Critical Threats
- 20 SepReported
Seven armed groups announced an alliance called the Ethiopian Peoples' Forces Alliance for Survival, aimed at removing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government and forming a transitional government. ACLED, a conflict-monitoring group, counted only three of them as actively fighting federal forces as of 26 September: the TPLF, the Amhara Fano National Movement and Ugugumo.
Sources: Chatham House · Al Jazeera
- 18 SepConfirmed
The US national emergency over Ethiopia, declared in September 2021, expired. Sanctions on Eritrea's military and ruling party lapsed with it. The State Department said the move was meant to advance US regional interests.
Sources: Bloomberg · AFP via New Vision
- 16 SepReported
Sudan's deputy head of state, Malik Agar, said Sudan does not want to be drawn into a war with Ethiopia. This came as Sudan's army accused Ethiopia of letting the Rapid Support Forces, a Sudanese paramilitary group, launch drones from its territory. Ethiopia has called such accusations baseless.
Sources: Radio Tamazuj
- 14 SepConfirmed
Ethiopia's education ministry announced that students at four Tigray universities would be temporarily reassigned to other campuses. It had halted new placements there on 9 September.
Sources: Rio Times
- 2 SepReported
Armed men seized centres designated for voter registration in Beledweyne as the commission set 30 September for the Hirshabelle vote. Some said they opposed an election run by the government-appointed commission. Hawadle politicians said the process was unfair and demanded their turn at the regional presidency.
Sources: Somali Guardian