Tigray Conflict Erupts Again as Fighting Breaks Out Across Northern Ethiopia

Forces from Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region have launched a major offensive against the federal government, raising fears that a new conflict could erupt nearly four years after a peace agreement ended the previous war.

Tigrayan leaders said their forces had entered what they described as a “defensive war” in response to alleged attacks by the Ethiopian government.

According to Reuters, fighting was reported in Tigray as well as neighbouring Afar and Amhara regions. Tigrayan forces also reportedly seized control of federally controlled airports in Tigray.

The latest escalation follows months of rising tensions between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government. On Sunday, the TPLF announced an alliance with six other armed groups seeking to challenge the federal government.

Ethiopian government adviser Getachew Reda said the TPLF had launched an “all-out offensive” against government positions in several areas.

Ethiopian Airlines has suspended flights to the Tigray region amid the renewed fighting.

The conflict has raised concerns about a wider regional war, particularly because of ongoing instability in neighbouring Sudan and tensions involving countries in the Horn of Africa.

The African Union Commission chair, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, called on both sides to immediately de-escalate tensions and engage in direct negotiations. He also urged neighbouring countries not to contribute to further escalation.

The renewed fighting comes less than four years after the Pretoria Agreement, signed in November 2022, brought an end to the 2020–2022 Tigray war, which resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and a severe humanitarian crisis.

The humanitarian situation in Tigray remains fragile. The UN refugee agency estimated that around 750,000 people from Tigray were still internally displaced as of February, while the region is also facing drought conditions.

The scale and intensity of the latest fighting remain unclear, while both sides have made competing claims about responsibility for the renewed hostilities.