Heavy fighting took place on Friday and Saturday near the border area of Afar and Tigray regions, both sides said.

The fighting broke out around in Fenti Rasu and Kilbeti zone of the Afar region, reportedly involving heavy artillery, with each blaming the other for starting the fight and claiming losses suffered by their opponent.

The Afar region communication office issued a statement Sunday that the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) had “unleashed an attack against the region using artillery shelling and caused the displacement of thousands of people.”

TPLF disputed this account, accusing the Afar region’s special force of starting the fight in Milazat and Dendan. TPLF spokesman said that the Tigray forces were able to ‘halt and repel the attacks’.

Fighting in northern Ethiopia has raged for more than a year, Tigrayan forces invading Afar and Amhara regions in July 2021. Following an offensive by the federal military and major territorial gains at the end of November, the war appears to be nearing its end. However, the situation in the border areas of Amhara, Tigray, and Afar reportedly remains tense, with sporadic fighting and clashes.