Fighting Escalates in Northern Ethiopia as Tigray Army and Alliance for Survival Announce Counteroffensives; African Union and U.S. Ambassador Push for De-escalation

September 23, 2026

Northern Ethiopia entered a more dangerous phase on Wednesday as the Tigray Army said federal forces had launched a multi-front offensive, the newly formed Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival said its member forces were conducting counteroffensives in several areas, the African Union called for immediate de-escalation, and the United States publicly blamed the TPLF leadership for launching what it described as a large-scale offensive.

The four statements reveal sharply competing accounts of who initiated the latest fighting. The Tigray Army and the Alliance for Survival portray their operations as responses to federal attacks, while U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia Ervin J. Massinga said the TPLF leadership had made the decision to launch a large-scale offensive. The African Union, meanwhile, focused on stopping further escalation and restoring negotiations under the 2022 Pretoria Agreement.

Tigray Army Says Federal Government Opened Multiple Fronts

In a statement issued September 23, the Command Center of the Tigray Army said Ethiopian federal forces launched what it described as a “full-scale offensive” overnight and into Wednesday morning along multiple fronts.

According to the command, the operation involved infantry, mechanized forces, drones and air-force assets.

The Tigray Army said the latest fighting followed what it described as sustained political, socioeconomic and military pressure, including drone strikes, aerial attacks and artillery bombardments against its forces, civilians and infrastructure.

It said Tigrayan forces had initially exercised restraint but were now engaged in “intense defensive combat” and had begun counteroffensive operations against forces it accused of initiating the war.

The statement provided no independently verifiable casualty figures or detailed territorial claims.

Alliance for Survival Says Its Member Forces Are Conducting Counteroffensives

In a separate statement issued the same day, the newly formed Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival, or Alliance for Survival, linked the current fighting to developments following the public announcement of the coalition.

The alliance said the Prosperity Party-led government had opened attacks against what it described as “our people and our forces” on different fronts using ground and aerial operations.

It further said that member organizations of the alliance were conducting counteroffensive operations in several areas.

The statement specifically referred to fighting in North Wollo, Wag Hemra and northern parts of the Afar Region, and claimed its forces were advancing and taking control of areas.

It also alleged losses among government forces, surrenders and the capture of military equipment. Those battlefield claims have not been independently verified.

The statement represents an important development for the alliance, which had only recently formally announced itself as a coalition. Its September 23 message moves beyond announcing a shared political platform and presents military operations by its member organizations as part of a wider common struggle.

U.S. Ambassador Directly Blames TPLF Leadership

The United States issued a markedly different account of responsibility for Wednesday’s escalation.

In a statement on developments in Tigray and Afar, U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia Ervin J. Massinga said he was “disappointed” with the TPLF leadership and accused it of launching a large-scale offensive.

Massinga said the TPLF leadership, which he noted had been subjected to U.S. sanctions earlier this year, had made what he called a “poor decision” by turning to military action.

He also criticized the rejection of dialogue efforts led by the African Union under former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, arguing that renewed fighting would not benefit the population.

Massinga further warned other armed organizations against joining the escalation and said the United States has additional sanctions tools available against leaders who, in Washington’s view, contribute to further destabilization.

At the same time, he emphasized that the U.S. continues to favor a negotiated political solution.

His statement therefore differs directly from the Tigray Army’s account of Wednesday’s events. The Tigray Army says it is responding to a federal offensive; the U.S. ambassador attributes the initiation of the large-scale offensive to the TPLF leadership.

The competing claims about who began the latest round of fighting remain central to the emerging diplomatic dispute and cannot be resolved solely from the statements issued by the parties.

African Union Calls for Immediate Cessation of Escalatory Actions

The African Union Commission Chairperson, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, also issued an urgent statement expressing concern about the deteriorating situation in northern Ethiopia.

The AU cited renewed military escalation, including reported hostilities in South Tigray and the Afar Region.

It also expressed concern over the seizure and occupation of the airports in Mekelle, Axum and Shire, the detention of federal personnel by the TPLF and the disruption of civilian air services.

According to the AU Chairperson, the seizure of the airports is inconsistent with commitments contained in the Agreement for Lasting Peace through a Permanent Cessation of Hostilities, signed in Pretoria on November 2, 2022.

The AU continues to describe the Pretoria Agreement as the central framework for peace, stability and reconciliation between the federal government and the TPLF.

Youssouf called for “utmost restraint” and the immediate cessation of actions that could intensify the confrontation.

Obasanjo Asked to Re-engage the Parties

The AU Chairperson has asked Olusegun Obasanjo, former Nigerian president and AU High Representative for the Horn of Africa, to urgently engage the parties and support renewed diplomatic efforts.

That element of the AU statement is particularly significant because Massinga’s U.S. statement also referred specifically to AU-sponsored dialogue under Obasanjo.

The AU and U.S. statements therefore converge on one important point: both are urging the parties to return to political dialogue rather than continue military escalation.

They differ, however, in emphasis. The AU statement largely calls on all sides to de-escalate, while the U.S. ambassador specifically assigns responsibility for Wednesday’s offensive to the TPLF leadership.

AU Also Raises Alarm Over the New Alliance

The African Union statement additionally expressed concern about the formation of new political and military alliances, warning that such developments could further destabilize Ethiopia and reverse gains made since the end of the 2020–2022 war.

Although the AU statement does not name the Alliance for Survival directly, its reference comes immediately after the emergence of the new coalition.

The Alliance for Survival itself says the current confrontation involves operations by several of its member forces in different parts of the country.

This raises a significant question that the statements do not answer: whether the reported operations represent genuinely coordinated military action under the new alliance, parallel operations by individual member organizations, or political coordination among otherwise separate armed commands.

U.S. Warns Other Armed Groups

Massinga’s statement adds another dimension to the international reaction by explicitly warning other armed groups against entering the confrontation.

His remark appears particularly relevant in light of the Alliance for Survival’s claim that several of its constituent forces are already engaged in counteroffensive operations.

The ambassador also warned that Washington could impose additional sanctions on leaders it concludes are contributing to further escalation.

The statement does not specify which individuals or organizations could face additional measures.

Four Statements, Two Competing Accounts of How the Fighting Began

Taken together, the statements expose a major disagreement over the origins of the September 23 escalation.

The Tigray Army says federal forces launched attacks across multiple fronts and that its forces are fighting defensively before moving to counteroffensive operations.

The Alliance for Survival similarly portrays its members’ operations as responses to attacks by the Prosperity Party-led government.

The United States, through Ambassador Massinga, takes the opposite position, saying the TPLF leadership launched a large-scale offensive and had chosen military action over AU-sponsored dialogue.

The African Union does not assign overall responsibility for the outbreak of the latest fighting in the same way, but condemns actions it says violate the Pretoria framework, including the seizure of the Mekelle, Axum and Shire airports, and calls on all parties to stop escalating.

Pretoria Agreement Faces a Critical Test

The developments of September 23 place the Pretoria Agreement under renewed strain.

The Tigray Army is openly announcing counteroffensive operations.

The Alliance for Survival is framing fighting across several regions as part of a wider struggle involving its constituent organizations.

The United States is warning the TPLF and other armed groups against continued military escalation and signaling the possibility of further sanctions.

And the African Union is attempting to bring the parties back under the diplomatic framework that ended the 2020–2022 Tigray war.

The immediate question is whether Obasanjo’s renewed mediation can halt the escalation before fighting spreads further across Tigray, Amhara and Afar and potentially draws additional members of the newly formed alliance more deeply into the conflict.