Ethiopia: Four years after the Pretoria Agreement, Tigray and Addis Ababa are at war again
Northern Ethiopia has plunged back into war: since September 23, 2026, forces from the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and the federal army have been clashing on several fronts in Tigray, Afar, and Amhara, according to Africanews, Al Jazeera, and France 24. Tigrayan authorities now say they are in a "total war" against Abiy Ahmed's government.
An escalation in just a few days
On September 21, seven armed groups announced the formation of a coalition called the Alliance of Ethiopian Popular Forces, according to Al Jazeera. Each side blames the other: a TPLF official, Abdisalam Balema, accuses the army of launching an offensive in southern Tigray, while Getachew Reda, an advisor to the Prime Minister, claims the TPLF attacked first.
Tigrayan forces have seized airports in the region, prompting Ethiopian Airlines to suspend its flights to Tigray. Intense fighting is reported around Abala, in Afar, which the rebels claim to have conquered, as well as in the North Wollo zone in Amhara, reaching the outskirts of Lalibela, a UNESCO World Heritage site, reports Africanews. Internet disruptions are affecting the north of the country.
The federal army claims, according to France 24, to have killed 272 rebel fighters and wounded 260 in 48 hours. These figures could not be independently verified.
The specter of 2020-2022
The balance of power remains unbalanced: the federal state has, according to Africanews, about 500,000 soldiers and a significant arsenal of drones.
The balance of power remains unbalanced: the federal state has, according to Africanews, about 500,000 soldiers and a significant arsenal of drones. An analyst from the firm Verisk Maplecroft believes that the rebels are seeking to seize logistical routes to hinder the army's supply lines.
Calls for dialogue are multiplying
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the regional organization for the Horn of Africa, has called for a ceasefire and the resumption of dialogue; the UN has expressed concern over drone strikes. For the African Union, the guarantor of the Pretoria Agreement, the challenge is now to save a peace it had negotiated itself, while analysts fear a regional extension of the conflict. For civilians in northern Ethiopia, already tested by years of violence, the priority is humanitarian access and the protection of populations.
This article was written in French with the help of artificial intelligence from the sources cited below, then translated from French automatically. Read the original.
