In a move that surprises absolutely no one who's been paying attention to Ethiopia's northern region, internet and call services in Tigray have been disrupted following this week's outbreak of fighting between regional forces and the national army. State-owned telecoms operator Ethio Telecom has completely cut services, while the smaller private firm Safaricom remains operational - because if there's one thing a conflict needs, it's a little healthy competition in the telecommunications sector.

Internet monitoring group NetBlocks earlier posted on X that network data indicated a sub-national internet shutdown in northern Tigray. "Last night telecommunications got knocked out," Duke Burbridge, an American humanitarian worker in Tigray's capital, Mekelle, told the BBC's Newsday programme. The BBC has contacted Ethiopia's authorities for comment, presumably by carrier pigeon or interpretive dance, given the circumstances.

Sources have told Reuters that the group controlling Tigray, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), ordered the communications blackout, with one suggesting it was to disrupt government drones. Because nothing says "hearts and minds" like cutting off everyone's ability to Google "what the hell is happening."

The BBC is unable to report from Tigray and surrounding areas, which makes establishing what's happening on the ground a bit like trying to solve a puzzle with half the pieces missing and the other half on fire. Even before the current disruption, finding video and images has been a challenge. So far, other than footage from Mekelle, most of what has been shared online has been from outside the region - because nothing says "on-the-ground reporting" like a Twitter thread from someone three countries away.

Burbridge said there had been a scarcity of cash in Tigray for the past eight months, with people unable to access ATMs. The lack of internet services, he added, would be "devastating for everybody." Many people rely on banking and mobile money applications for transactions, with the majority using Ethio Telecom and Safaricom's networks to access these services. On Thursday, a Mekelle resident identified only as Fitsum told the BBC "there is almost no cash" in the city. With the outbreak of war, people were limiting their movements, and the city was all quiet - "it's like a curfew has been placed," he said. So, to recap: no cash, no internet, no ability to leave the house. It's like a digital detox retreat, except with drones.

Clashes between Tigrayan forces and their allies and Ethiopia's federal troops broke out on Wednesday, prompting fears of a return to a full-scale civil war and reports of panic buying. A humanitarian source in the neighbouring region of Afar told AFP there was "heavy fighting overnight," including drone strikes, around the town of Abala in the mountains between Afar and Tigray, as "federal forces pushed the rebels from entering the town." There have also been reports of fighting near the town of Lalibela in the Amhara region, home to churches hewn out of rock and recognised as a UN World Heritage site. The US has warned against travel to all three regions - a travel advisory that practically writes itself.

During the two-year conflict which ended in 2022, Tigray was totally cut off from the outside world. Limited access to cash, food and medicine pushed hundreds of thousands into famine-like conditions. It was one of the most deadly conflicts this century, with estimates that some 600,000 people died as the fighting drove the region to the precipice of famine. On Sunday, the TPLF announced an alliance with six other armed groups to oust the government. On Wednesday, its forces seized control of three airports from federal police. Following the seizure, Ethiopian Airlines cancelled all flights to Tigray - because if you can't fly there, you certainly can't tweet about it.

Additional reporting by Peter Mwai, BBC Verify. For more news from the African continent, go to BBCAfrica.com. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa, or on Instagram at bbcafrica.