Over the past several days, the TPLF declared control of key cities in Amhara region, Dessie and Kombolcha, some 380 km north of the capital. This was, eventually, followed by huge popular mobilization by the Amhara and Afar regions to fight back the TPLF’s expansion.

Since the early hours of November 4, 2020, the Ethiopian government has been undertaking military operations against the TPLF. In late June, the government announced a unilateral ceasefire in Tigray, but forces loyal to the TPLF soon took control of much of the area in the region, including the regional capital.

The conflict has since expanded to Tigray’s neighboring Amhara and Afar regions. The HoPR, the lower house of the Ethiopian parliament, has designated the TPLF as a terrorist organization. The Ethiopian government had previously assigned an interim administration in Tigray after the ouster of the TPLF, which used to rule the region.