Ethiopia: Civilians Caught in Crossfire as Fighting Resumes in Tigray

Fighting has returned to northern Ethiopia's Tigray region, shattering a fragile peace that had held since the end of the region's devastating 2020-2022 civil war, according to Deutsche Welle, which spoke with civilians caught in the renewed violence.

Residents described ongoing communication blackouts and continued battles for territory between rebel and federal forces, conditions that have made it difficult for both civilians and outside observers to verify the full scope of the fighting or its humanitarian toll.

The available report does not specify which areas of Tigray are currently most affected, the identities of the specific armed groups involved beyond broadly categorizing them as rebel and federal forces, or an estimate of casualties or displacement resulting from the renewed clashes.

The 2020-2022 conflict in Tigray was among the deadliest wars in recent African history, with estimates of deaths running into the hundreds of thousands and widespread allegations of atrocities by multiple parties, before a peace agreement was signed in Pretoria in late 2022.

Communication blackouts, including restrictions on phone and internet access, were also a defining feature of the earlier conflict, often cited by humanitarian organizations as a major obstacle to delivering aid and documenting abuses.

The report did not include comment from Ethiopia's federal government or from regional Tigrayan authorities regarding the renewed fighting or plans to restore the earlier peace arrangement.