After Pretoria peace deal, old enemies in Ethiopia’s Tigray find new ground

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that Ethiopia’s 2022 Pretoria Agreement, which ended the Tigray war, left major political, territorial and security issues unresolved. Nearly four years later, those gaps have allowed the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) to rebuild influence while tensions in and around Tigray have returned. The article says the deal required disarmament, political dialogue and the return of displaced people, but key provisions were only partly implemented.

According to the report, the TPLF has since reasserted itself both politically and militarily. Internal power struggles in Tigray led to changes in regional leadership, including the removal of Getachew Reda as interim head in 2025 and the later return of Debretsion Gebremichael to the regional presidency in 2026. Al Jazeera also cites reports of renewed recruitment, clashes involving Tigrayan forces, and fighting in disputed areas such as Tselemt, Alamata, Korem and western Tigray.

The article says these developments have revived concerns that the peace process remains incomplete. Displaced people have not fully returned to contested districts, and territorial claims continue to divide Tigray and Amhara actors. A civilian source in Tigray told Al Jazeera that residents want peace and do not want another war.

The report also places the TPLF’s repositioning in a wider regional context, noting reported contacts with Eritrean officials and the emergence of Tsimdo, a loose convergence of anti-federal groups that reportedly includes the TPLF, Fano, the Oromo Liberation Army and others. Al Jazeera says the pattern underscores how old enemies are finding tactical common ground while Ethiopia’s postwar order remains unsettled.