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In Tigray, war cuts the connections people need
Protection includes being able to call, travel and obtain supplies.
In northern Ethiopia, federal forces and fighters of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) resume fighting this week, with clashes in Amhara and Afar too. The November 2022 Pretoria agreement ended a two-year war. Incomplete implementation has left communities already hurt by that conflict vulnerable to another breakdown.
Stocking up on food and withdrawing cash: Reuters describes residents responding to renewed fighting in Tigray. On Friday 25 September, its reporters cannot reach numbers on state-owned Ethio telecom's network; some Safaricom customers remain connected. Losing a phone connection also means losing a way to find out whether someone is safe.[1]
Responsibility is contested. Four Reuters sources attribute the shutdown order to the TPLF; a source close to the movement denies this and blames the government. The operators and prime minister's office did not answer the agency. Those conflicting accounts prevent treating responsibility as settled. The consequences for users remain.[1]
The UN reports road closures interrupting humanitarian movements, while aid work continues where security allows. Ethiopia's human rights commission also warns about supplies and freedom of movement. Mediation under the Pretoria framework offers a practical route back. For residents, its first benefit should be reaching care and receiving food without having to choose between the journey and their safety.[2][3]
How we reached this judgment
What changed
Fighting returns to northern Ethiopia. Phones, roads and supplies become immediate concerns.
Why it matters
Track access people use, alongside military announcements.
Where views differ
Tigray residents
- What it sees
- Food, money and contact with relatives.
- What it wants
- Keep everyday access.
- What it omits
- Accounts relayed by others; no LeDécaf interviews.
Mediators and aid workers
- What it sees
- Prevent another civilian catastrophe.
- What it wants
- Restore dialogue and access.
- What it omits
- No complete map of usable roads inspected.
The provisional judgment
Renewed fighting threatens the connections sustaining civilian life; precise responsibility remains unsettled.
Movement: New thread
The receipts
The records we consulted and what they establish. Sources can have interests of their own.
- Telecoms networks disrupted in Tigray as Ethiopia's military cites major losses by rebelsReuters via StreetInsider · 2026-09-25T11:24:00Z · en
Reuters documents failed calls; responsibility for the shutdown is disputed.
- UN voices grave concern as fighting spreads across northern EthiopiaUN News via Global Issues · 2026-09-25 · en
UN reports disrupted aid movements and continuing operations where security permits.
- Tigray Region: The armed Conflicts in the Border areas of Tigray and Amhara, as well as Tigray and Afar Regions, have the potential for Human Rights Violations and must be Resolved ImmediatelyEthiopian Human Rights Commission · 2026-09-25 · en
Ethiopia's rights commission warns of disrupted movement and supplies after fighting resumes.