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

Kaleb Moges,BBC Africaand
Ondiro Oganga
News imageAFP via Getty Images A woman sits on a rock in an arid landscape looking at her phone. She is wearing a white headscarf, blue jacket and a patterned skirtAFP via Getty Images
The internet was cut in Tigray during the two-year civil war which ended in 2022 (file photo)

Internet and call services have been disrupted in Ethiopia's northern region of Tigray after fighting broke out 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 much 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.

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 heightened tension and reports of panic buying.

During the two-year civil 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.

Additional reporting by Peter Mwai, BBC Verify

News imageBBC map of Ethiopia showing the northern states of Tigray, Amhara and Afar. The regional capital of Mekelle is labelled in Tigray and the national capital Addis Ababa is also located near the centre of the country and just outside the three northern states. Eritrea is shown to the north, bordering the Red Sea, and an inset map shows the area of the map as being in the region known as the Horn of Africa.
More about Tigray from the BBC:
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