Alliance forces seize the Mekelle, Axum and Shire airports as the offensive opens on three fronts

On the night of 22-23 September Tigrayan forces took control of the airports at Mekelle, Axum and Shire, and Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights to all three cities. Fronts opened at Kobo-Tumuga, where Tigrayan and Amhara Fano forces fought jointly, along the Zata-Dinqa-Sekota axis, and at Tonsa on the Afar border.

The federal government's account came from Getachew Reda, an adviser to the prime minister, who said the TPLF had “launched an all-out offensive against government positions in Afar and Amhara”. The Tigray regional government said federal troops had bombarded it on 22 September with aircraft, drones and artillery.

Reuters reported, citing government and diplomatic sources, that Tigrayan forces were fighting alongside Fano in Amhara. The UN Secretary-General said he was gravely concerned by the airport seizures and the spread of fighting beyond Tigray, and the African Union said the seizures were inconsistent with the 2022 Pretoria agreement. The ENDF said it had repelled attacks across seven localities in North Wello, killing 272 and wounding 260 — figures that remain unverified.