• Tigray forces take Alamata, call on gun owners to surrender weapons
• Ethiopian Airlines canceled flights to Mekele, Axum, Shire, and Humera

Drone strikes hit two towns and a woreda in the Central Tigray Zone on Friday night and Saturday morning. Police said that one person was killed and another injured in a drone attack on the town of Enticho.

The drone strikes occurred on Friday amid reports of a renewed confrontation between the federal government and Tigray forces. Police and Tigray regional officials said the strikes hit the towns of Enticho and Gendebta, as well as the Ahferom woreda. The strikes in Enticho and Gendebta were reported to have targeted trucks. Enticho town police chief Tesfay Amare told BBC Tigrigna that two trucks were damaged in the strikes. He said the trucks were transporting food and cooking items. One of the drivers was killed and the other injured, he said.

It was not immediately clear whether there were any casualties in the attacks on the town of Gendebta and the Ahferom woreda.

Renewed conflict between the federal government and Tigray forces has been reported in recent days. The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission confirmed on Friday that clashes broke out in the border areas of the Tigray, Amhara, and Afar regions, warning the violence could undermine the relative peace that followed the Pretoria Peace Agreement. In a statement, the commission said the fighting puts civilians at risk of further harm, displacement, and other serious human rights violations. Sources said earlier this week that a drone strike took place in the Tselemit area, where Tigray forces and federal troops clashed.

Ethiopian Airlines canceled flights to Mekele, Axum, Shire, and Humera on Thursday. The suspensions continued into Friday, sparking panic with cash shortages. Residents of several towns in Tigray have been withdrawing cash from banks. By Friday, many banks had stopped dispensing cash. The suspension of flights has led to a 50 percent increase in bus fares. Passengers who used to pay 5,000 birr are now paying between 8,000 and 10,000 birr for a trip from Addis Ababa to Mekele.

On Friday, the African Union expressed “deep concern over recent developments” in the northern part of the country and urged “all parties to exercise maximum restraint.”

While national forces have reportedly pulled out of the disputed towns of Alamata and Korem after Tigray forces advanced, thousands of civilians are fleeing to ensure their safety, the BBC reported. The media quoted residents as saying they were heading to nearby Kobo, Woldiya, and other villages, fearing for their lives.

On Wednesday evening, federal forces left Alamata town, and Tigray forces began entering. After taking control, they started arresting people who were said to have ties to the Amhara regional administration and called on gun owners in Alamata to surrender their weapons.