Tigray forces have claimed to have seized key cities on a main road towards the capital of Addis Ababa. They claim to be in control of Dessie and Kombolcha cities, though the federal government disputes this claim.
The capture of Kombolcha would be a strategic gain for the fighters against Ethiopia’s military and their allies. The large town is on a main road about 235 miles (380km) from Addis Ababa, and is the farthest south in Amhara that the TPLF has reached since pushing into the region in July.
On Sunday night, insurgents from Oromiya, Ethiopia’s most populous region, said they had also seized the town of Kemise, 53 km (33 miles) south of Kombolcha on the same highway to the capital Addis Ababa.
The spreading conflict threatens to further destabilise Africa’s second most populous nation, once considered a stable Western ally in a volatile region.
