Internet restricted after fighting breaks out in Ethiopia's Tigray region

ByKaleb Moges, BBC Africa and Ondiro Oganga. 25 September 2026, 13: 34 BST.

Key points

• "Last night telecommunications got knocked out, " Duke Burbridge, an American humanitarian worker in Tigray's capital, Mekelle, informed the BBC's Newsday programme.
• During the two-year conflict which concluded in 2022, Tigray was totally cut off from the outside world.
• On Sunday, the party in control of Tigray, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) confirmed an alliance with six other armed groups to oust the administration.
• Although those from the much smaller private firm Safaricom remain operational, services provided by state-owned telecoms operator Ethio Telecom have been completely cut.
• Plenty of residents rely on banking and mobile funds applications for transactions, with the majority using Ethio Telecom and Safaricom's networks to access these services.

Internet and call services have been disrupted in Ethiopia's northern region of Tigray after fighting broke out this week between regional forces and the national army.

Although those from the much smaller private firm Safaricom remain operational, services provided by state-owned telecoms operator Ethio Telecom have been completely cut. Internet monitoring group NetBlocks earlier posted on X that network data indicated a sub-national internet shutdown in northern Tigray.

"Last night telecommunications got knocked out, " Duke Burbridge, an American humanitarian worker in Tigray's capital, Mekelle, informed the BBC's Newsday programme. The BBC has contacted Ethiopia's authorities for comment. The BBC is unable to report from Tigray and surrounding areas.

Burbridge remarked there had been a scarcity of cash in Tigray for the past eight months, with residents unable to access ATMs so the lack of internet services would be "devastating for everybody".

For context, the young women who fought in Ethiopia's last civil war and don't want to see another one.

Clashes between Tigrayan forces and their allies and Ethiopia's federal troops broke out on Wednesday, prompting fears of a return to a full scale civil war and reports of panic buying.

Limited access to cash, food and medicine pushed hundreds of thousands into famine-like conditions.

It was one of the most deadly conflicts this century – with estimates that some 600, 000 individuals died as the fighting drove the region to the precipice of famine.

On Wednesday, the TPLF seized control of three airports from federal police.

There are unconfirmed reports that TPLF forces have introduced attacks in the neighbouring regions of Afar and Amhara.

After the seizure of the airports, Ethiopian Airlines has cancelled all flights to Tigray. Extra reporting by Peter Mwai, BBC Verify. More regarding Tigray from the BBC. 'I lost my leg on the way home from school'. Is Ethiopia heading back to war in Tigray? Ethiopia PM's party wins landslide as fears grow of new conflict.

Go to BBCAfrica.com, external for more news from the African continent.

For now, internet restricted after fighting breaks out in Ethiopia' s Tigray region remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.