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FIGHTING broke out in western Tigray, in one of the most serious breaches yet of the peace deal between the Ethiopian government and rebel fighters in the northern region.
The regional government of Tigray, based in the Tigrayan capital Mekelle, accused federal forces of opening the assault at dawn and advancing from the direction of Shererina, near the Sudanese border.
Abraham Belay, a government minister who led Tigray’s transitional government during the war, confirmed the clashes but accused Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) chairman Debretsion Gebremichael’s forces of starting them.
He took to social media to say: “Enough war! Let us resolve our differences through dialogue.”
The fighting follows months of worsening relations between Addis Ababa and the TPLF, the party that ruled Ethiopia for nearly three decades before Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power in 2018.
Both sides have accused each other of failing to fully implement the 2022 peace deal.
Tigrayan authorities said Ethiopia’s ruling Prosperity Party has waged a long blockade against the region and has now escalated into full-scale war.
In the days running up to the armed clashes, Ethiopian media ran a campaign accusing Mr Gebremichael by name of rallying Tigrayans toward war.
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