Tensions are rising in Ethiopia’s Tigray region after a paramilitary faction seized control of the key northern town of Adigrat, prompting warnings from regional leaders of a potential return to conflict.
Getachew Reda, head of Tigray’s interim administration, urged the Ethiopian government to intervene, accusing the dissident group of undermining fragile post-war stability. “The Tigrayan people must not be dragged into another war they did not choose,” Getachew said at a press conference.
The armed group, which broke away from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) last year, has been accused of seeking alliances with Eritrea—an assertion it denies. Eritrea, which fought alongside Ethiopian federal forces in the 2020-2022 Tigray war, has recently mobilized its military, further fueling concerns of a wider conflict.
The Ethiopian government has yet to comment on the latest developments. However, diplomatic and regional sources report that federal troops have been deployed toward the Eritrean border, raising fears of escalating hostilities.
Analysts warn that renewed fighting in Tigray could destabilize the wider Horn of Africa, where ongoing conflicts in Sudan and Somalia have already triggered a humanitarian crisis.