ICRC Evacuates 161 People as Ethiopia Civil War Escalates

The International Committee of the Red Cross evacuated 161 people from the conflict-affected Tigray region of Ethiopia on September 28, 2026. Acting as a neutral intermediary with the approval of all concerned authorities, the organization transported African Union monitors, Ethiopian Red Cross Society members, federal police, and aviation staff from Mekelle to Semera in the Afar region.

The evacuation follows the eruption of large-scale fighting on September 23, triggered by an alliance between the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the Amhara Fano National Movement, and six other armed groups seeking to overthrow Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government. This escalation follows the collapse of the 2022 Pretoria Agreement over contested territories and the TPLF's loss of legal party status.

Military gains have shifted rapidly across northern Ethiopia. The Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) reported seizing the strategic town of Alamata and advancing toward Mekelle, claiming to have killed 272 TPLF fighters during a repelled offensive. Conversely, Tigrayan forces have captured airports in Mekelle, Aksum, and Shire, and have pushed into the Afar region. Civilians remain caught in the crossfire amid communication blackouts and artillery strikes on residential areas and markets in Alamata.