Fighting between federal forces and rebels from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which lasted for several hours, ended on Saturday, local and security sources told AFP on Sunday.

A TPLF member, speaking on condition of anonymity, said armed clashes in Shererina, near the Sudan border, involving heavy artillery and drone strikes, began at about 6:00 am on Saturday and ended around 5:00 pm.

The source said the fighting was slowing down but did not provide any information about casualties.

On Saturday, the TPLF accused the federal authorities of escalating their military actions and launching what it described as a “large-scale infantry offensive.”

Abraham Belay, head of the Ministry of Irrigation and Lowlands, who is originally from Tigray, confirmed that clashes had erupted between federal forces and TPLF fighters. In a Tigrinya-language statement posted on his official social media page, he accused the TPLF of initiating hostilities in the Shererina area and warned that continued fighting could lead to further harm.

The clashes came after tensions between the two sides had intensified in recent months, following that TPLF leaders had dismantled the regional interim administration established by the federal government and taken control.