Ethiopia's military claims capture of strategic Tigray town of Alamata

Ethiopian federal forces and allied militias have captured the strategic town of Alamata in southern Tigray, turning the tables on a major rebel offensive. The resumption of heavy fighting between the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and the government has shattered the 2022 Pretoria Peace Agreement, displacing at least 150,000 people in the Afar region. Tensions are escalating further as Ethiopian Army Chief Field Marshal Birhanu Jula accuses Sudan, Egypt, and Eritrea of backing the rebel alliance, allegations that Sudan and Eritrea strongly deny.

Capture of Alamata

• ▪The Tigrai Peace Force pro-government militia posted a video on Facebook on September 28, 2026, showing soldiers marching through Alamata waving Ethiopian flags
• ▪Two diplomatic sources confirmed the fall of Alamata in southern Tigray to Ethiopian federal military forces and allied militiamen on September 28, 2026, while a third source stated forces entered but control was unclear

Pretoria Peace Agreement

• ▪The Pretoria Peace Agreement of 2022 was never fully implemented, leaving around one million people unable to return to their homes
• ▪Heavy clashes resuming on September 23, 2026, between the Tigray People's Liberation Front and the federal government shattered the four-year-old Pretoria Peace Agreement signed in November 2022

Tigrayan offensive in neighbouring regions

• ▪The Tigray People's Liberation Front seized airports in the Amhara and Afar regions, claiming they were engaged in a defensive war against the federal government
• ▪The Tigray People's Liberation Front offensive in Afar, launched on September 23, 2026, aimed to cut off supply lines from Djibouti, which provides almost all of Ethiopia's international trade cargo
• ▪Tigrayan rebel forces captured the town of Erebti in the Afar region near the Tigray border on September 27, 2026, after heavy artillery shelling
• ▪The Tigray People's Liberation Front launched attacks into the neighbouring Amhara region, repeating a strategy of pushing south towards the capital, Addis Ababa

Humanitarian impact on civilians

• ▪Human Rights Watch expressed concern that the risk to civilians is spreading at a time when international diplomatic attention on Ethiopia has reduced
• ▪A humanitarian source estimated that at least 150,000 people have been displaced in the Afar region due to the resumed conflict between the TPLF and the federal government as of September 27, 2026

Allegations of foreign support for rebel alliance

• ▪The Tigray People's Liberation Front announced a new alliance with six other armed groups across Ethiopia aimed at overthrowing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government
• ▪Ethiopian Army Chief Field Marshal Birhanu Jula accused Eritrea, Sudan, and Egypt of backing and supplying the TPLF-led armed rebel alliance fighting federal troops
• ▪The Sudanese military denied allegations of backing Tigrayan fighters, calling the claims baseless, and counter-accused Ethiopia of supporting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces

Debatable claims

• ▪The TPLF-led alliance's campaign to overthrow Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is justified
• ▪The Ethiopian federal government bears primary responsibility for the collapse of the Pretoria Agreement