Tigray rebels seize airport and clash with federal forces as fighting in Ethiopia reignites

Tigrayan rebels in northern Ethiopia seized control of a key airport and clashed with federal troops in the neighbouring region of Afar on Wednesday, as long-standing tensions spilt into open battle. Fighting escalated "since last night in Abala and Erebti (in Afar) between TPLF and federal forces," an NGO source in the region said, requesting anonymity. "We are expecting it to expand. We just sent a truck with food to help the people displaced," they added. Abala lies in the mountain ranges that mark the border with Tigray. Erebti lies around 100 kilometres further into Afar. Another humanitarian source confirmed clashes in the two locations, as did a foreign security source in Ethiopia.