Ethiopia's Military Chief Accuses Sudan and Egypt of Arming Tigray Forces as Conflict Escalates

Ethiopia's top military commander has publicly accused Sudan and Egypt of providing support to armed groups battling federal troops in the country's northern region, dramatically widening the scope of a conflict that has reignited fears of a return to full-scale civil war. Field Marshal Birhanu Jula, speaking through a video address posted on the army's official YouTube channel on Sunday, asserted that his forces were confronting organized fighters who were receiving backing from foreign powers.

The army chief claimed the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and its allies would be incapable of achieving any military gains without being "backed, supported and supplied by Sudan, Egypt and other external powers." His remarks represent the most direct accusation yet from Addis Ababa that outside nations are actively meddling in Ethiopia's internal conflict, a charge that—if substantiated—could transform what has largely been a domestic insurgency into a broader regional confrontation.

Sudan's military swiftly rejected the allegations, issuing a statement on Sunday that described the claims as "baseless." However, the Sudanese armed forces did not stop at a simple denial. They counterattacked with their own accusations, alleging that Ethiopia's territory was being used to support the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the group Sudanese generals have been fighting since civil war erupted in Sudan in 2023. According to the Sudanese military, the RSF has been receiving training, supplies, and even drone support from within Ethiopian borders.

This exchange of accusations highlights the increasingly entangled nature of conflicts in the Horn of Africa, where multiple armed struggles now overlap and intersect. Sudan's civil war, which has pitted the national army against the RSF for more than three years, has already drawn in regional actors and created refugee flows across borders. The prospect that Ethiopia's Tigray conflict and Sudan's internal war could be feeding each other—whether through proxy support or cross-border movements—adds a dangerous new dimension to an already volatile neighborhood.

Fighting between the TPLF and Ethiopia's federal government, led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, resumed on Wednesday, shattering a fragile peace that had held since the 2020-2022 civil war. That earlier conflict was devastating: an estimated 600,000 people lost their lives, making it one of the deadliest wars of the past decade. The resumption of hostilities has revived traumatic memories across Ethiopia and prompted urgent international concerns about a humanitarian catastrophe in the making.

The renewed violence has already produced concrete military developments. On Sunday, a drone struck the headquarters of Tigrai TV, the primary media outlet associated with rebel authorities in Mekelle, the capital of the Tigray region. Al Jazeera's Malcolm Webb, reporting from Nairobi, noted that Ethiopia's government had announced last week that the station's operations were suspended indefinitely. While the federal government has not commented directly on the drone strike, the attack followed a significant communications disruption across Tigray.

Connectivity in the region has been severely limited since Friday, when telecommunications providers reported major disruptions to both phone and internet services. This blackout has made independent reporting on the conflict extremely difficult, raising questions about what is happening on the ground and who is responsible for the information vacuum. Webb explained that it remains unclear whether the federal government is repeating strategies from the previous civil war, or whether the TPLF is attempting to prevent electronic communications from being used to target its positions through drone strikes.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed deep concern about the escalating situation. His spokesman said Guterres was "particularly troubled by reports of the use of drones as well as incidents of harm to civilians." No exact casualty figures have been confirmed, but the use of drones in populated areas has raised alarm about the potential for mass civilian casualties. The international community has repeatedly called for restraint, but those appeals appear to have gone unheeded as both sides press military advantages.

The TPLF has reportedly seized airports and launched attacks into the neighboring states of Afar and Amhara, framing its actions as a "defensive war" against the federal government. A source told Al Jazeera Arabic that the Ethiopian army has seized control of Alamata in southern Tigray and is advancing toward Mekhoni and Maychew, deeper into the region. Meanwhile, AFP reported that TPLF fighters took control of Erebti in the Afar region near the Tigray border on Sunday, with the rebels advancing toward Afdera, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) to the east.

The TPLF's strategic objectives appear to mirror those of the previous war. The group, which has allied with six other armed factions from around the country, seems to be repeating its strategy of pushing toward Addis Ababa. The offensive in Afar is particularly significant because it aims to cut off supply lines from Djibouti, the source of the majority of Ethiopia's imports, including fuel. Control over these routes would give the rebels enormous leverage over the federal government's ability to sustain its military operations and supply its population.

The broader alliance behind the current offensive was announced just last week. The formation of the Ethiopian Peoples' Forces Alliance for Survival brought together longstanding enemies who had fought on opposite sides of the 2020-2022 civil war—a remarkable consolidation of opposition forces united by a single goal: overthrowing Abiy's government. This coalition represents a significant escalation in the political and military challenge facing the prime minister, whose international standing has already been damaged by the conduct of the previous war.

The implications of a renewed full-scale conflict in Ethiopia are profound. The country is the second most populous in Africa, a major contributor to regional peacekeeping missions, and a key strategic partner for Western and regional powers. A return to civil war would not only cause immense human suffering but could destabilize the entire Horn of Africa, triggering refugee crises, disrupting trade routes, and drawing in neighboring countries either as mediators or participants.

The accusations and counter-accusations between Ethiopia and Sudan also complicate any potential diplomatic resolution. If Addis Ababa genuinely believes Khartoum and Cairo are arming its enemies, it may be less willing to engage in negotiations or accept mediation from regional bodies. Similarly, Sudan's claims about Ethiopian support for the RSF could poison bilateral relations for years to come. The lack of independent verification for either set of allegations leaves the international community in a difficult position, unable to confirm the facts while the conflict continues to claim lives.

For now, the situation remains fluid and dangerous. Communications blackouts prevent accurate reporting from the ground. Drone strikes target media infrastructure. Both sides claim military advances. The United Nations warns of harm to civilians. And behind it all, the specter of the 2020-2022 war—with its 600,000 dead—looms over every development. Whether Ethiopia is on the verge of another catastrophic civil war, or whether outside pressure and internal exhaustion will force a return to the negotiating table, remains an open and urgent question.