Is Ethiopia on the verge of another civil war as fighting erupts in Tigray?
Seven armed groups have joined forces against Abiy Ahmed’s government, bringing former enemies into the same alliance.
Intensified fighting between Ethiopia’s federal army and forces from the northern region of Tigray has raised fears that the peace agreement that ended a devastating two-year war in 2022 could collapse.
The escalation came days after seven armed groups from across Ethiopia formed a new alliance which seeks to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government, with each side of the conflict blaming the other for instigating the latest flare-up in violence.
The immediate fear for many in the country is a return to the war they have spent nearly four years trying to recover from. Here is what we know.
The government sees the TPLF differently. Naidoo said it would portray the group as “a belligerent group trying to destabilise Ethiopia”. But for Tigrayan leaders, he said, renewed fighting could be presented as a matter of protecting their region.