Exchange of Gunfire in Tonsa Afar between Tigray & Rival Forces
Tigray & rival forces exchanged gunfire on Tuesday evening in Tonsa kebele which is situated in Megale district in the Afar region of Ethiopia.
Tigray Peace Force (TPF), an armed group opposed to Tigray forces, has been establishing its camps in Tonsa Megale since last year. Allegedly, Ethiopian military backs the group. According to local sources, today’s exchange of gunfire was between Tigray regional forces and rival forces consisting of Ethiopian national defense force, TPF and Afar militias.
However situation in other parts of Tigray-Afar border is peaceful. One of the most strategic towns on Afar Tigray border in Abala town. The town is located in zone 2 of the Afar region. People after 8 p.m. heard brief sounds of gunshots there, which subsided later. There are no confirmed reports of clashes between Tigray and rival forces in Abala town. Abala-Mekelle distance is around 50 km. Mekelle is Tigray regional capital.
Several social media outlets are claiming that full scale war has resumed between Tigray regional forces and Ethiopian federal forces. The two sides fought a deadly war in 2020, which ended in November 2022. Though tensions are high between Tigray region and Ethiopian federal government, the start of full scale war could not be verified. On Tuesday, Ethiopian air force conducted over 20 drone strikes in the Tigray region, hitting Tigray forces and sites used for military activities.
