Ethiopia fighting intensifies as Government forces retake Alamata

Pro-government forces in Ethiopia said Monday they had taken control of the town of Alamata in southern Tigray after days of clashes with rebel forces across multiple fronts.

The loss of Alamata, a strategic town on a major highway into Tigray, would mark a reversal for Tigrayan rebels, who launched offensives against the government on multiple fronts last week.

The clashes have raised fears of a return to the full-blown civil war of 2020-2022 that caused the deaths of an estimated 600,000 people. The fall of Alamata was announced on Facebook by a Tigrayan splinter group, the Tigray Peace Force, that has aligned with the federal government.

Conflict monitor ACLED confirmed reports that federal forces had seized the town. The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the main rebel force, launched attacks into the neighbouring states of Amhara and Afar last Wednesday.

It made advances against government forces in Afar on Sunday, taking the town of Erebti and pushing east, apparently hoping to cut off supplies from Djibouti, which provides most of Ethiopia's trade cargo.

There has also been heavy fighting in Amhara region, where the TPLF is operating alongside the local Fano militia, including clashes around the UNESCO World Heritage site of Lalibela.