Passenger flights between Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, and cities in the northern Tigray region have been cancelled amid fears of a return to conflict, with reports of clashes in one area. Ethiopia Airlines, which operates all routes in the country, sent passengers a text message about the cancellations citing “unplanned circumstances”. Neither the airline nor the government has commented further.
Airport staff in Tigray’s main city of Mekelle have reportedly been told not to go to work. A 2022 peace deal to end a brutal civil war in Tigray has been unravelling as tensions grow over disputed territory and ahead of June’s elections. There are reports of clashes between the federal army and Tigray fighters in Mai Degusha, a contested area of Tselemti district in western Tigray.
During the conflict, forces from the neighbouring Amhara region occupied the fertile area of western Tigray, which remains a source of dispute. The government has said it will be settled through a referendumbut around a million people fled that area during the war and remain in poor conditions in makeshift camps throughout Tigray – and it is not clear whether they will get a vote. Sources also report new military movements in southern Tigray, raising concerns of renewed conflict. Ethiopian Airlines has not yet issued an official statement or explanation regarding the suspension of its flights.
