Internet, Phone Services Disrupted Amid Renewed Fighting in Ethiopia's Tigray

Internet and call services are disrupted in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region following the outbreak of fighting this week between regional forces and the national army.

State-owned Ethio Telecom services are completely cut, though private firm Safaricom's services remain operational. Internet monitoring group NetBlocks reported a sub-national internet shutdown in northern Tigray. Duke Burbridge, a humanitarian worker in Mekelle, stated telecommunications were knocked out. Sources told Reuters the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) ordered the blackout, possibly to disrupt government drones, though the TPLF has not commented.

Rebels in Tigray seized local airports and launched attacks into neighboring Afar and Amhara states this week, declaring a full-blown war with the federal government. Ethiopia's federal army reported repelling attacks in Amhara's North Wollo Zone, killing 272 Tigrayan fighters and wounding 260 others. Heavy fighting, including drone strikes, occurred overnight around Abala in Afar, and clashes took place near UNESCO World Heritage sites in Lalibela, Amhara.

Ethiopian Airlines halted flights to Mekelle, Axum, and Shire. The renewed conflict shatters a four-year-old peace deal that ended the 2020-2022 civil war, which caused an estimated 600,000 deaths. The current disruption raises fears of a repeat of the previous blockade, which severely restricted communications, electricity, and aid. Residents in Mekelle are panic-buying, and a scarcity of cash makes the internet disruption devastating for mobile money transactions. The TPLF has allied with six other armed groups to overthrow Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government.