Tensions are once again high in northern Ethiopia. Flights to the Tigray region were suspended after clashes between Ethiopian federal forces and Tigrayan fighters, according to security and diplomatic sources.
Violence has erupted in recent days in western Tigray, particularly in the town of Tsemlet, a disputed area where forces from the neighboring Amhara region still refuse to withdraw, despite the peace agreement signed in Pretoria at the end of 2022.
This resumption of fighting raises fears of a return to conflict in a region already deeply marked by war between 2020 and 2022, a conflict which has cost the lives of several hundred thousand people, according to the African Union.
Diplomatic sources indicate that the Tigrayan forces would face the Ethiopian national army, supported by Amhara militias. On the ground, the situation remains confused and no official reaction from the federal army has yet been communicated.
Faced with this security deterioration, flights operated by Ethiopian Airlines, the only company serving Tigray, have been suspended.
Despite the peace agreement, tensions remain high in the region, where hundreds of thousands of people remain displaced, in a climate of persistent instability.
