US condemns Ethiopian rebels’ ‘poor decision’ to launch offensive, sending country back into war

Published September 23, 2026 3:43pm ET



A large rebel coalition launched coordinated offensives against Ethiopia’s central government, returning the country to all-out war after four years of simmering tensions.

Ethiopia, the world’s largest landlocked country, has been torn apart over the past decade by the divergent goals of ethnic political groups seeking to keep the country decentralized, and the centralizing crusade of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. This fissure triggered one of the 21st century’s bloodiest wars in 2020 when federal forces attempted to wrestle control of the large province of Tigray, leaving up to 600,000 dead by the time a ceasefire deal was signed two years later.

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