The Ethiopian government has stated that it is closely monitoring the escalating tensions in the northern region of Tigray, where a political power struggle is threatening to undermine a fragile peace agreement.
A truce signed in 2022 ended a devastating two-year war between Tigrayan rebels and the federal government, a conflict that reportedly claimed up to 600,000 lives.
However, delays in fully implementing the agreement have deepened divisions within the region’s political leadership and heightened fears of renewed conflict, particularly as relations between Ethiopia and neighbouring Eritrea continue to sour.
On Friday, residents of Tigray attempted to flee the region amid reports that a political faction had seized control of the town hall in the state capital, Mekele.
“The federal government is carefully monitoring the situation,” Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos said on Friday.
“We will do everything in our power to ensure that the Pretoria agreement holds, the ceasefire holds, and that peace will prevail in northern Ethiopia.”
The ongoing tensions stem from a leadership dispute between Getachew Reda, head of Tigray’s regional administration, and Debretsion Gebremichael, leader of the region’s dominant party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
Armed supporters of Debretsion have reportedly taken control of municipal offices in Mekele and Adigrat, Tigray’s second-largest city near the Eritrean border. The faction ousted the mayors appointed by Getachew’s administration and reinstated its preferred officials while seizing control of Mekele’s local radio station.
Foreign Minister Timothewos condemned the actions of Debretsion’s faction, accusing them of destabilising the region.
He further alleged that the faction was in contact with “external forces hostile to Ethiopia,” though he did not provide specific details.
The renewed unrest in Tigray has raised concerns about potential interference from Eritrea, which has a long history of conflict with Ethiopia. The two countries fought a brutal war between 1998 and 2000, resulting in hundreds of thousands of casualties.
Eritrean forces played a controversial role in Ethiopia’s recent civil war, supporting the federal government’s offensive against the Tigray rebels. Since the peace deal, relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea have become increasingly tense, raising fears that a fresh conflict could erupt.
With tensions in Tigray escalating and local factions vying for power, concerns are growing that the region could once again become a flashpoint for violence.
