‘Large-scale’ fighting in Ethiopia’s Tigray shatters 5-month lull
- Conflict that saw thousands killed in Africa’s second-most populous country had calmed amid mediation efforts, but the clashes mark a major setback
- Millions of people in the region remain starved of food and other needs, with Ethiopia and the Tigray forces both accused of committing abuses
Ethiopia’s military has launched a “large-scale” offensive for the first time in a year in the northern Tigray region, Tigray authorities alleged on Wednesday, while the government countered that Tigray forces attacked first. It is a significant setback to mediation efforts as millions of people remain starved of food and other needs.
The conflict began in November 2020, killing thousands of people in Africa’s second-most populous country. Now, as then, both sides have acted at a moment when the world was focused elsewhere – the six-month mark of the Ukraine war on Wednesday.
The conflict calmed in recent months amid slow-moving mediation efforts. But last week, the spokeswoman for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed asserted that Tigray authorities were “refusing to accept peace talks”, and this week, Ethiopia’s military warned the public against reporting troop movements.
For their part, an August 23 letter signed by Tigray leader Debretsion Gebremichael and shared with Associated Press said Tigray leaders had “conducted two rounds of confidential face-to-face talks with senior military and civilian officials” – the first confirmation of direct talks. But it said “unacceptable conditions have been inserted into the peace process”, and urged the international community to step in quickly.
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What is behind the fighting in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region?
All sides have committed abuses in the conflict. On Wednesday, the United Nations said Tigray forces “forcibly entered” a World Food Programme warehouse in the regional capital, Mekele, and took 12 fuel tankers meant for the delivery of badly needed humanitarian aid.