Ethiopian Airlines (ET, Addis Ababa International) suspended its flights between Addis Ababa International and the northern Tigray region on January 29 as reports of fresh clashes raised fears that a fragile 2022 truce could be unravelling, Reuters and the BBC reported.

"As of today, all flights have been cancelled," a spokesman told Reuters, without giving a reason. The airline has yet to make an official statement, but ch-aviation has reached out for comment. The BBC reported that Tigray’s transport chief confirmed the flight suspensions.

According to ch-aviation capacities data, Ethiopian Airlines currently flies to three airports in the region, Makale (also known as Mekelle; 51x weekly), Indaselassie, and Axum (14x weekly each). It is the only carrier conducting scheduled flights to all three.

Diplomatic and government sources told Reuters that fighting had broken out this week in Tigray’s disputed western areas, where tensions between federal forces and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) have been rising.

Relations between the federal government and the TPLF have soured in recent months. The electoral board recently revoked the TPLF’s licence, barring it from June’s national elections, while internal splits within the party have added to instability.

An African Union-brokered 2022 peace deal had halted a two-year war that killed an estimated 600,000 people, according to an AU envoy. However, renewed clashes have heightened concerns that the peace process is faltering.