Arthur Greene
The world’s deadliest ongoing war has reignited in Ethiopia after fighting broke out in the northern Tigray region, ending a months-long ceasefire and hope that the war was coming to an end.
Government forces, led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, clashed with Tigrayan rebels around the town of Kobo on Wednesday and months of planning for peace talks seemingly fell apart.
Both sides blamed each other for the conflict, with Tigray’s Army’s Military Command accusing government forces of spending the last five days repositioning troops ahead of an assault on Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile the government’s communication services claimed that the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) was the aggressor. They claimed that accusations of troop movements this week were false and were an excuse to justify an attack.
Tigray Army’s Military Command said in a statement addressed to its people that its enemy intends to launch an assault from western Tigray and that its forces are “reliably ready to repulse this offensive.”
Both sides’ statements give every indication that the conflict is set to continue.
At the end of March, a truce was called and humanitarian aid was allowed into Tigray for the first time in months.
By this time, a severe humanitarian crisis had taken hold in the region. The United Nations estimates that over 90% of people in Tigray require urgent humanitarian aid.
In March, researchers estimated that upwards of 500,000 people had died since fighting first broke out in November 2020, most of whom from malnutrition.
Last week the head of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, called the crisis the “worst disaster on Earth” and criticised global leaders for ignoring it.
Despite the blockade being officially lifted, imports of fuel have remained restricted, limiting the amount of supplies that can be distributed.
Tigray’s military has accused the government of agreeing to a ceasefire in order to lay siege to the region, letting it starve so they can defeat it by fighting later on.
In June, Abiy’s government put the works in motion to begin negotiations with the TPLF. However, these soon reached a stalemate as Tigray’s government demanded a restoration of services to its civilians, which Abiy’s government refused.
The TPLF said in a statement addressed to international leaders that the “peace process is being set up to fail”.
Image source: @ForeignAffairs
