Horn of Africa in September 2026: the most important developments in security
In the Horn of Africa, September 2026 ended with renewed war in northern Ethiopia. Fighting between Ethiopian government forces and Tigrayan forces broke out again and spread across the region by September 24. Tigrayan forces seized airports, and Ethiopia's military said it had killed hundreds of TPLF fighters and inflicted major losses on the rebels. The clashes effectively ended the peace deal that closed the 2022 war. The UN voiced grave concern, aid groups warned of bloodshed and shortages, and internet and telecoms networks in Tigray were disrupted amid fears of a blackout and blockade.
On September 28 Ethiopia's army chief accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of supporting the Tigray rebels. Pro-government forces said they had captured a strategic town in Tigray, and the army pushed deeper into the region. The governor of Afar said his region faces Eritrea, and about 20 Israelis were reported trapped in northern Ethiopia. Earlier in the month, seven armed groups announced an alliance against Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. A military expert warned that a third Ethiopia-Eritrea war would be more complex than earlier ones.
Elsewhere, the Houthis were reported on September 13 to be closing in on Bab el-Mandeb as Saudi Arabia struck back. Germany arrested suspected members of an Eritrean terror group. Off Somalia, eight Egyptian sailors who had been abducted were released on September 30, and a US-sanctioned oil tanker, the Sibu 1, was rescued from Somali pirates. A South African journalist, Micah Reddy, and a local fixer went missing in Djibouti. Somalia's president said fighting terrorism is not Somalia's responsibility alone, and Kenya and the United States tested the defences of the Manda Bay base.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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