Key facts
- Tigrayan forces launched a major offensive against the Ethiopian federal government on Wednesday.
- The offensive shatters a peace deal signed in November 2022.
- Tigray's leaders stated they are engaged in a defensive war against federal government aggression.
- Tigrayan forces seized control of federally controlled airports in Tigray.
- Offensives were launched against government positions in the neighboring regions of Afar and Amhara.
- Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights to the Tigray region.
Forces from Ethiopia's Tigray region launched a major offensive against the federal government on Wednesday, shattering a peace deal and risking a wider regional conflict. Tigray's leaders stated they are engaged in a defensive war to counter aggression by the federal government.
The move shatters a peace deal that formally ended a conflict that killed hundreds of thousands of people, which had been under strain for months with each side accusing the other of violating the agreement. The peace process began to unravel after splits emerged within the TPLF, and a hardline faction of the party reasserted control over the region, removing an interim administration.
Most recently, the TPLF formed an alliance with six other armed groups from across Ethiopia, including former enemies from the war, aimed at overthrowing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government. It is not clear how many members of the alliance were involved in clashes on Wednesday, but Ethiopia is home to many heavily armed regional groups.
Abiy's government has accused Eritrea of financially backing members of the alliance, allegations Asmara has denied. Relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea have deteriorated since the Pretoria peace agreement, which Eritrea was not party to despite having fought in the war.
Diplomats warn that a renewed Tigray war would no longer be a largely isolated Ethiopian conflict. Instead, it would unfold as the Horn of Africa faces its most volatile security environment in years, with war raging in Sudan, persistent instability in Somalia, tensions over the Nile, and expanding war and geopolitics from the Middle East spilling into the region. Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights to the region.