The TPLF advanced toward Afdeera after taking Erebti, with at least 150,000 people displaced in Afar alone, according to Euronews.
The TPLF says it is in a "full-blown" war with federal forces, days after Tigrayan rebels announced a coalition with six other armed groups seeking to overthrow the government.
Escalating tensions between the Tigray People's Liberation Front and Ethiopia's national army raise fears of a broader confrontation.
Escalating friction between the Tigray People's Liberation Front and Ethiopia's national army is raising fears of a return to conflict, the BBC reports.
A telecoms disruption tied to fighting in Ethiopia, mutual blame between the DRC opposition and ruling party, and coalition manoeuvring in Morocco topped this update on African affairs.
Tigrayan rebel forces say they are waging 'total war' against Ethiopia's federal government, as fighting intensifies across multiple fronts.
Two days after announcing a new opposition coalition, rebel groups have seized control of several cities and airports in Tigray and Afar, and are now encircling Woldiya.
TPLF fighters took control of an airport in Tigray as violence also flared in South Africa and eastern DR Congo this week.
Flights to Mekelle, Aksum, and Shire have been suspended after Tigray People's Liberation Front forces seized an airport, as renewed clashes and a new seven-group alliance fuel fears of a return to civil war.
Residents in northern Ethiopia say forces linked to the Tigray region have taken control of the area's main airport from police, fueling fears of renewed conflict between the government and the TPLF.
The Tigray People's Liberation Front has taken control of several airports and targeted government positions in the Afar and Amhara regions, prompting Ethiopian Airlines to suspend flights to northern Tigray.
The alliance, which includes the Tigray People's Liberation Front and the Amhara Fano movement, says it aims to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government.
Al Jazeera reports that the 2022 peace agreement ended fighting in Tigray but left key disputes unresolved, allowing the Tigray People's Liberation Front room to regroup as tensions rise again.