INTERNET SERVICES CUT IN ETHIOPIA'S TIGRAY AMID RENEWED FIGHTING

Internet and phone services have been disrupted in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region after fighting broke out this week between Tigrayan forces and the national army. The state-owned operator Ethio Telecom has been completely cut off, while the smaller private firm Safaricom remains operational. The monitoring group NetBlocks said network data showed a sub-national internet shutdown in northern Tigray. Clashes between Tigrayan forces, their allies and federal troops began on Wednesday, prompting heightened tension and reports of panic buying. Duke Burbridge, an American humanitarian worker in Tigray's capital, Mekelle, said telecommunications had been "knocked out" overnight.

Ethiopia's army said it had killed 272 fighters from the Tigray People's Liberation Front in the neighbouring Amhara region, while the TPLF described the fighting as a "full-blown war." The group said the escalation followed its decision to join a new alliance with six other armed groups. Burbridge said Tigray had faced a scarcity of cash for eight months, with people unable to access cash machines, and that losing internet access would be "devastating for everybody." Many residents rely on banking and mobile money apps, most accessed through the Ethio Telecom and Safaricom networks.

The renewed violence has raised fears that Ethiopia could slide back into civil war, following the two-year conflict in Tigray that ended in 2022. During that war, Tigray was completely cut off from the outside world, and limited access to cash, food and medicine pushed hundreds of thousands into famine-like conditions. The current shutdown means many residents again face difficulty accessing banking services and contacting relatives outside the region. Ethiopian authorities have been contacted for comment on the disruption and the fighting.