Ethiopia Nears War in Tigray As Abiy Sends in Troops

As Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sends troops into the Tigray region, the country could be on the brink of a civil war.

Fighting and gunshots have been reported in Tigray after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered a military offensive in the region in northern Ethiopia.

Military operations in the region have commenced, Abiy’s spokeswoman Billene Seyoum told the Reuters news agency on Wednesday.

Internet access monitor NetBlocks said internet and mobile lines in the region have been shut down. DW’s correspondent in the regional capital Mekele couldn’t be reached by telephone or text throughout the day.

The airspace over Tigray is also closed.

“We have confirmation that there is troop movement on the border to Tigray, there is an active ongoing armed confrontation,” said Ethiopia observer Kjetil Tronvoll, Research Director of Peace and Conflict Studies at Norway’s Bjorknes University College.