Ethiopia: Pope Leo Urges Dialogue As Fighting Intensifies in Northern Ethiopia

What the report says

Pope Leo XIV has appealed for dialogue as fighting intensifies in northern Ethiopia, where renewed clashes are affecting the Tigray region and nearby parts of Afar and Amhara, according to Addis Standard, distributed by AllAfrica. The pope made the call during his General Audience at the Vatican on Wednesday, saying he was following the situation with concern and urging all sides to move away from armed confrontation.

The article says the latest violence involves Ethiopian federal forces and Tigrayan forces, with reports that the fighting has spread into Afar. It also notes disputed claims that Tigrayan fighters captured the town of Erebti. The escalation has heightened humanitarian worries, including a rise in war injuries and new displacement. Doctors Without Borders said patient numbers surged at hospitals in Korem and Alamata, and a humanitarian source cited by AP estimated that about 150,000 people had been displaced in Afar.

The renewed clashes come nearly four years after the November 2022 Pretoria peace agreement that ended the two-year Tigray war. The report also says UN officials and U.S. senators have recently warned that the fighting could undermine that agreement and worsen civilian suffering. The UN has called for restraint, civilian protection and unhindered aid access, while Pope Leo urged the international community to help deliver humanitarian assistance.

Cautionary background: the article places the current fighting in a wider pattern of unresolved tensions in Ethiopia’s north, where accusations among regional and national actors have continued since the peace deal.