Ethiopia Tigray rebels pushed out of Afar, source says

Tigray rebels have been pushed out of Ethiopia's Afar state by a government counter-offensive, a humanitarian source said Friday, as renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia strained the country's relations with Eritrea and Egypt.

Fighting erupted last week when the Tigray People's Liberation Front launched attacks into Afar and Amhara, raising fears of a return to the 2020-2022 civil war.

Ethiopia accused Eritrea of supporting the TPLF, and the two countries broke diplomatic relations on Thursday. Ethiopia expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats and shut its embassy in Asmara, while Eritrea said it would sever all diplomatic ties.

Ethiopia also expelled an Egyptian diplomat without giving an explanation, prompting Cairo to take a reciprocal step. Ethiopia and Egypt were already at odds over Addis Ababa's new Nile mega-dam, and Egypt has strengthened ties with Eritrea in recent months.

A humanitarian source in Afar, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the TPLF was out of Afar but that the humanitarian situation had changed little because rebel forces had raided and destroyed property as they left and northern areas had no food access.

Conflict monitor ACLED said pro-government forces had retaken Abala, Erebti and Megale in Afar. The Critical Threats Project, part of the American Enterprise Institute, said the Ethiopian military had largely repelled the rebel offensive and was pushing into Tigrayan territory on three axes toward Mekelle, the regional capital.

Verification is difficult because media are prevented from travelling to affected areas and communications are significantly disrupted.

The conflict also appeared to reach Addis Ababa overnight Wednesday to Thursday, when an explosion was reported at the Ministry of Defence, which houses the Ethiopian National Defence Force headquarters. A diplomatic source in the city said drone strikes were the most likely cause, but added that there was no imagery or independent confirmation.

The African Union said it was following the heightened tensions between Ethiopia, Eritrea and Egypt with concern and urged maximum restraint.