GNV News 2025/5/10

In Ethiopia’s Tigray region, in 2020/11 the Ethiopian federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which had been the core of the previous government, clashed militarily over political power and autonomy; Amhara forces claiming territorial rights over western Tigray, as well as neighboring Eritrea, joined in, and the confrontation escalated into a large-scale war. In 2022/11, the Pretoria peace agreement was concluded; it called for the restoration of the Ethiopian federal government’s authority, the disarmament, demobilisation, and reintegration (DDR) of the TPLF, and the return of about 1000,000 displaced people, among other measures, which were promised. However, more than two years after the agreement, concerns are growing that the conflict could reignite.

As for the implementation of the peace accord, in the west of the region Amhara forces occupy parts of Tigray’s territory and Eritrean troops remain deployed, so the restoration of federal authority has not been achieved. In addition, splits and power struggles within the TPLF, the TPLF-led Tigray regional government, and the Tigray Defense Forces (TDF) have intensified, and even a coup has occurred, leaving Tigray in turmoil. Amid this, Tigray’s infrastructure and economy remain devastated, and responses to the humanitarian crisis facing displaced people and residents are being deprioritized.

Furthermore, although about 12,000 former combatants have undergone DDR, about 250,000 remain stranded with no prospects for reintegration. Assistance has been limited to US$800 in cash and basic supplies, fueling rising rates of desertion, irregular migration, and criminal activity, and raising fears of renewed rearmament. Delays in DDR are due not only to funding shortages but also to internal rifts within the TPLF and power struggles around the TDF, with allegations of weapons concealment and deep mutual mistrust persisting. Moreover, territorial disputes and stalled returns of displaced people mean the prerequisites for DDR have not been put in place — a situation.

Amid this political turmoil and outside intervention, the new leadership in Tigray that emerged after the coup of 2025/3 seeks to retake Western Tigray, which was seized by Amhara forces during the war, but it has been warned that this could become a new flashpoint for conflict.

Learn more about Ethiopia → “Ethiopia’s grand reform: Can Prime Minister Abiy be a savior?”

Learn more about conflicts within Africa→ “Horn of Africa: Inter-state agreements destabilize the region”

A man walks beside a tank destroyed in the armed conflict in Tigray
(Photo: Yan Boechat/VOA / Wikimedia Commons)