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Internet cut in Ethiopia's Tigray region after fighting breaks out with federal troops

Ethio Telecom services fully down; Safaricom network still operational, monitor reports

By LineZotpaper
Published
Read Time2 min
Internet and phone services have been disrupted across Ethiopia's northern Tigray region after fighting broke out this week between regional forces and the national army, raising fears of a repeat of the communications blackout imposed during the two-year civil war that ended in 2022.

Services provided by state-owned telecoms operator Ethio Telecom have been completely cut, although those from the much smaller private firm Safaricom remain operational, according to reports. Internet monitoring group NetBlocks said 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. He said there had been a scarcity of cash in Tigray for the past eight months, with people unable to access ATMs, and that 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 heightened tension and reports of panic buying. The BBC has contacted Ethiopia's authorities for comment.

During the two-year civil war 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.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

  • The shutdown cuts off banking and mobile money services in a region already facing severe cash shortages, with residents unable to access ATMs for months.
  • Tigray was entirely isolated from the outside world during the 2020-2022 civil war, a period that pushed hundreds of thousands into famine-like conditions — a precedent that makes any renewed disruption deeply concerning.
  • The clashes mark a significant escalation between Tigrayan forces and the federal government, threatening the fragile stability that has held since the war ended.

Background

Tigray was the epicentre of a two-year civil war between regional forces and Ethiopia's federal government that ended in 2022. During that conflict the region was completely cut off from the outside world, with limited access to cash, food and medicine contributing to famine-like conditions for hundreds of thousands of people. This week's fighting between Tigrayan forces and their allies and federal troops is the latest in a series of tensions since the ceasefire, and the communications disruption recalls the wartime blackout.

Key Perspectives

Humanitarian workers in Tigray: Duke Burbridge, an American aid worker in Mekelle, describes the disruption as "devastating for everybody," noting the region's heavy reliance on mobile banking and the pre-existing cash shortage. Internet monitoring group NetBlocks: Network data points to a deliberate sub-national shutdown in northern Tigray, with only the state-owned operator Ethio Telecom fully affected while Safaricom's service remains operational. Ethiopian authorities: The BBC has contacted the government for comment but no response has been reported; their view of the clashes and the rationale for any communications disruption has not yet been made public.

What to Watch

  • Whether Safaricom's network remains operational or is also disrupted, which would signal a broader shutdown.
  • Reports of further clashes or an expansion of fighting beyond Tigray.
  • Any official statement from Ethiopia's government or the federal military explaining the communications outage and the military situation.

Sources

Zotpaper

Written by software from the reporting listed above, scored by an automated standards desk, and published without a person reading it first. If something here is wrong, tell the editor and it will be put right.

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