Tens Of Thousands Flee Alamata As Fighting Erupts Once Again In Uneasy North

African Union calls for restraint

By Surafel Ashebir

Thousands of civilians and residents are fleeing disputed border areas between the Amhara and Tigray regions amid reports of clashes involving federal and regional forces and informal militias.

While details on the fighting remain unclear, sources in the area say the clashes involved the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF), Tigray Peace Forces (TPF), Tigray Defense Forces (TDF), and armed groups active in the two regions.

Reports indicate the tensions were behind the decision to suspend commercial flights to airports in Tigray earlier this week. Residents in Tigray told The Reporter that cash has become increasingly scarce over the past few weeks.

Local officials and fleeing residents who spoke to The Reporter confirmed that TDF divisions advanced to take control of disputed areas, prompting a retreat from ENDF.

ENDF took a step back in an attempt to avoid clashes, however the withdrawal of federal troops created a vacuum that was quickly filled by TDF, leading to confrontations with other forces and the displacement of civilians, according to sources in the area.

Civilists have be evacuated fram free, Queen Natural, Teaching, Wefla, Hafla, Half

At present, forces loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) have taken control of the town of Alamata and hoisted the regional flag, an eyewitness told The Reporter.

After taking control of the city, the TPLF issued a “mercy notice” to the people of Alamata on January 21, 2026, in which it claimed it was aware of the presence of 1,200 members of a militia with ties to the Amhara regional administration, and called on gun owners in Alamata to surrender their weapons before March 22.

Sources in Alamata told The Reporter that approximately 500 people have been arrested on various charges and remain in detention in school compounds in the town.

“Schools are closed. They’ve arrested the religious leaders, women, and elders (Abo Gerebs). They are demanding a ransom of 200,000 Birr to release the people they have arrested,” said one source.

Meanwhile, reports indicate that fighting between ENDF and TPLF in Telemt, particularly in Dima, Selasa Guila, and Serere, has been ongoing since January 18.

The Reporter has confirmed that fighting continues in an area called Fiyel Weha.

As the TPLF consolidates its hold in these areas, the international community and local aid agencies face a daunting challenge: addressing a growing demographic of people who feel caught between shifting frontlines and competing political ideologies.

The AU and Pretoria Agreement Implementation

Following the resumption of confrontation and clashes, which has also been reported in international media outlets over the week, the AU has issued a strong statement on Friday.

Mahamoud Ali Youssof, chair of the AU Commission, urged restraint and emphasized the paramount importance of preserving the “hard-won gains” of the AU-led peace deal in November 2022, ending a brutal two-year war involving the TPLF, the federal government, the Eritrean military, and militias.

The Chairperson called on all actors to refrain from actions that could undermine confidence in the peace agreement, and resolve all outstanding issues through constructive dialogue.

Still, observers note that few of the Pretoria Agreement’s terms, including disarmament and the return of more than one million internally displaced persons (IDPs), have been met.

A week ago, US Ambassador to Ethiopia, Ervin Massinga, visited Humera, a disputed territory in western Tigray, alongside former Tigray interim president Getachew Reda, who told The Reporter that the federal government seeks to dismantle local administrations in disputed areas in a bid to facilitate the return of IDPs.

However, renewed fighting in the region casts a shadow over the fate of IDPs, as well as raises questions about the upcoming national election.