AFRICA/ETHIOPIA – Tigray on the brink of renewed conflict: fighting resumes as civilians flee

Mekelle – The truce reached with the 2022 Pretoria Agreement appears increasingly fragile. Heavy fighting has resumed in western Tigray, near the border with Sudan, between the Ethiopian National Defence Force and forces linked to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front , in what is being described as the most serious escalation since the end of the civil war.
The clashes, which began between August 1 and 2, have been concentrated around Shererina, a strategic area in western Tigray, a territory disputed between the Tigray and Amhara regions. According to TPLF sources, heavy artillery and drones were used during the fighting. No official casualty figures have yet been released, while hundreds of civilians have crossed the border into Sudan seeking refuge.
The resurgence of hostilities has heightened fears of a return to full-scale conflict. The Pretoria Agreement , signed on November 2, 2022, under the mediation of the African Union in South Africa’s administrative capital , sanctioned the permanent cessation of hostilities between the Ethiopian federal government and the TPLF. However, many of its provisions have never been fully implemented, and tensions have remained high. In recent months, the TPLF has also regained control over the region, removing the interim administration established after the war.
According to local media, on a political level both sides have exchanged accusations. The Tigray administration led by the TPLF claims that the federal government has launched an “open war” in the Shererina area, violating the commitments made under the peace agreement and seeking to “subjugate and divide” the region’s population.
For its part, the government in Addis Ababa has not issued any official statements through either the executive or the military leadership. However, Minister Abraham Belay confirmed that the clashes had taken place, blaming the TPLF for triggering the violence. In a message posted on social media, the minister accused the movement’s leadership of initiating the fighting and warned that continued hostilities could have “even worse consequences.” At the same time, he appealed for dialogue, stressing that disputes should be resolved through negotiation rather than armed confrontation. “Today it is better to strive for peace before destruction,” the statement reads.
The international community is also concerned about the possible involvement of neighbouring Sudan. Several observers fear that the violence could evolve into a proxy war, with rival Sudanese factions backing opposing sides in Ethiopia, further exacerbating an already highly unstable crisis in the Horn of Africa.

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