The African Union Commission calls on neighbouring countries to actively support de-escalation, dialogue and confidence-building, according to a statement.
The African Union Commission urged warring parties in Ethiopia to immediately de-escalate tensions and hold direct talks after forces from the northern Tigray region launched a major offensive against the federal government on Wednesday, shattering a four-year peace deal brokered by the AU.
"The AUC Chairperson also calls upon all neighbouring countries of Ethiopia to refrain from actions that could contribute to further escalation and to actively support de-escalation, dialogue and confidence-building," the statement said, without naming any nations.
The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), rebels in northern Ethiopia, on Wednesday seized control of the airports in the regional cities of Mekelle, Shire, and Axum, TPLF vice president Amanuel Assefa told AFP.
Ethiopian Airlines said it had suspended flights to all three.
In a statement posted on Facebook, the Tigray regional government said its actions were a response to "intensive bombardments" by federal forces on Tuesday, involving "aircraft, drones, and artillery".
The federal government in Addis Ababa has yet to comment on the clashes.
Peace agreement
The TPLF ruled the whole of Ethiopia from 1991 to 2018 before the rise of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
It fought a devastating civil war with the federal government in 2020-2022 that killed some 600,000 people, according to African Union estimates. The Pretoria Peace Agreement ended the war and maintained an uneasy calm until late 2025, when clashes resumed.
Clashes between the federal government and the TPLF rebels have continued ever since.
The region has not recovered from the last war, with around one million people still displaced and many aspects of the peace agreement still unfulfilled.
