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

Internet and telephone services have been disrupted in Ethiopia’s Tigray region after fighting erupted this week between Tigrayan forces and the national army. State‑owned operator Ethio Telecom has been completely cut off, while the smaller private provider Safaricom remains operational. NetBlocks posted on X that its data showed a sub‑national internet shutdown in northern Tigray. “Last nighttime 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 has been a scarcity of currency in Tigray for the past 8 months, with people unable to access ATMs, adding that the lack of internet services would be “devastating for everybody.” Many residents rely on banking and mobile money applications for transactions, with the majority using Ethio Telecom and Safaricom networks to reach those services. Clashes between Tigrayan forces and their allies and Ethiopia’s national troops broke out on Wednesday, prompting heightened hostility and reports of panic buying. During the two‑year civil war that ended in 2022, Tigray was completely 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.