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

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

Services provided by state-owned telecoms operator Ethio Telecom have been completely cut, although those from the smaller private firm Safaricom remain operational. 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, told the BBC's Newsday programme.

The BBC has contacted Ethiopia's authorities for comment.

Sources have told the Reuters news agency that the group which controls Tigray, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), ordered the communications blackout, with one suggesting it was to disrupt government drones.

The TPLF has not commented.

The BBC is unable to report from Tigray and surrounding areas.

Even before the current disruption, finding video and images to establish what is happening on the ground has been a challenge.

So far, other than footage from Mekelle, most of what has been shared online has been from outside the region.

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

Many people rely on banking and mobile money applications for transactions, with the majority using Ethio Telecom and Safaricom's networks to access these services.

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.

A humanitarian source in the neighbouring region of Afar told the AFP news agency there was "heavy fighting overnight", including drone strikes, around the town of Abala in the mountains between Afar and Tigray, as "federal forces pushed the rebels from entering the town".

During the two-year conflict which ended in 2022, Tigray was totally cut off from the outside world.

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 people died as the fighting drove the region to the precipice of famine.

On Sunday, the TPLF announced an alliance with six other armed groups to oust the government.

On Wednesday, its forces seized control of three airports from federal police.

There are unconfirmed reports that TPLF forces have launched attacks in Amhara, as well as Afar.

Following the seizure of the airports, Ethiopian Airlines has cancelled all flights to Tigray.

Additional reporting by Peter Mwai, BBC Verify

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