Fighting between Ethiopian government troops and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front has intensified in northern Ethiopia, raising fears that the fragile 2022 peace agreement could collapse and trigger a return to large-scale conflict.
The renewed clashes, which began in the Tigray Region on Wednesday, escalated on Thursday, with TPLF Vice President Amanuel Assefa describing the situation as a “full-blown war.”
Ethiopia’s military said it had launched a counter-offensive against the TPLF, claiming that 272 rebels were killed and about 260 others wounded. The figures could not be independently verified, while the military did not provide a breakdown of military and civilian casualties.
The African Union, United Nations and other international observers have called for restraint and de-escalation. US Ambassador to Ethiopia Ervin J. Massinga also criticised the TPLF’s reported offensive, saying renewed fighting would not serve the interests of the people of Tigray.
The TPLF was Ethiopia’s dominant political force from 1991 until 2018, when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power and formed a government centred on the Prosperity Party. Tensions between Abiy’s administration and the TPLF later escalated into a two-year war that began in 2020 and resulted in an estimated 500,000 deaths from violence, famine and the collapse of health services.
The latest escalation has also raised concerns about a wider regional conflict. Fighting has reportedly spread to parts of the Amhara region, while clashes were reported around Lalibela, a major tourist destination known for its UNESCO-listed rock-hewn churches. Flights to the area were suspended on Thursday.
The TPLF has also announced an alliance with the Fano militia, which has been fighting the Ethiopian government in Amhara since 2023. Analysts say the two groups have longstanding territorial disputes but are currently united by opposition to the Prosperity Party-led government.
