The TPLF advanced toward Afdeera after taking Erebti, with at least 150,000 people feared displaced in Afar alone. The offensive targets the Djibouti corridor, through which almost all of Ethiopia's international trade flows, giving the rebels potential leverage over the federal government.
Renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia is drawing in the country's disputes with Egypt, Sudan and Eritrea, raising fears that its internal conflict could spread across the region.
