ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed insisted his country “does not want war” on Friday, even as large numbers of federal forces have massed near the volatile Tigray region, stoking fears of a fresh escalation in a conflict that devastated the north and reshaped politics in the Horn of Africa.
“The problems should be resolved only through dialogue,” Abiy said in an interview broadcast by the state news agency, adding that he believed Tigray’s leaders were “obstructing dialogue from taking place.”
His comments come against a backdrop of deep mistrust and sporadic clashes following a brutal civil war from 2020 to 2022 between federal forces and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which ruled the northern region and dominated Ethiopian politics for decades before Abiy’s rise to office in 2018.
Peace talks and a ceasefire in late 2022 brought only limited calm, and fighting reignited last year, with both sides accusing each other of violations.
The earlier war tore through Tigray with immense human cost and widespread abuses, including mass killings, forced displacement and allegations of war crimes by all combatants. Independent researchers estimate hundreds of thousands of civilians died, with many more affected by famine and destruction of basic services.
Regional tensions are further complicated by Eritrea’s fraught role. Eritrean troops fought alongside Ethiopian federal forces during the previous conflict, and while a 2018 peace agreement once raised hopes of durable peace, relations remain fragile.
Eritrea has accused Ethiopia of eyeing its Red Sea port of Assab, a longstanding strategic flashpoint, and Abiy warned Asmara “would not hesitate to destabilize the country.”
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Tigray authorities have accused the federal government of preparing for renewed offensive actions, charging that troop buildups and political moves undermine trust and violate the spirit of past peace deals.
The TPLF’s second‑in‑command said on Wednesday that the “federal government is preparing itself to wage a war against Tigray.”
Analysts say the standoff underscores the fragility of peace in northern Ethiopia and the broader Horn, where ethnic rivalries, political exclusion and regional power struggles have repeatedly threatened stability.
Despite his Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 for ending a decades‑long conflict with Eritrea, Abiy’s leadership has been tested by internal divisions, and diplomatic efforts to prevent another all‑out war will shape not only Ethiopia’s future but the security of the wider region.