Ethiopia Warns of Fresh Tigray War, Says TPLF Is Preparing Major Army Base Attacks
Officials said the reported offensive would target EDF installations in northern Ethiopia, the same region that became the epicentre of the two-year war between federal forces and Tigrayan fighters. That conflict left tens of thousands dead and forced...
ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopia on Thursday warned that the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) is preparing a major assault on Ethiopian National Defence Force (EDF) bases in the country’s north, a development that has revived fears of another war only years after a brutal conflict ended.
The alert came from Ethiopia’s intelligence chief and was reinforced by a former president of Tigray, both of whom said they had information showing TPLF fighters were mobilising for a large-scale attack on federal military positions.
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Officials said the reported offensive would target EDF installations in northern Ethiopia, the same region that became the epicentre of the two-year war between federal forces and Tigrayan fighters. That conflict left tens of thousands dead and forced millions from their homes.
They urged the international community, including regional and global actors that helped broker the 2022 peace process, to press the TPLF leadership in Mekelle to stay out of battle and return to negotiations instead.
The officials also blamed neighbouring Eritrea for fuelling the tensions, accusing Asmara of encouraging renewed fighting and worsening the security climate. Eritrea has not publicly answered the allegations.
The warning comes amid mounting political and military strain inside Tigray, where rival TPLF factions have been clashing over how the Pretoria peace agreement, signed in November 2022 under African Union mediation, is being carried out. The accord ended one of Africa’s deadliest recent wars.
Even with the agreement in place, worries have lingered over armed groups in disputed areas, slow progress on disarmament and unresolved questions about Tigray’s political future.
The latest alarm has deepened concern among diplomats and aid agencies that northern Ethiopia could slide back into conflict, threatening fragile recovery efforts and intensifying humanitarian hardship in a region still struggling to recover from years of war.
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