Hundreds flee clashes in northern Ethiopia as tensions rise in region

What the report says

Hundreds of people have crossed from Ethiopia’s Tigray region into Sudan after renewed fighting between regional forces and the Ethiopian army, according to BBC Africa. The clashes broke out on Saturday in Shererina, near the Sudanese border, and continued into Sunday. BBC reported that witnesses and local medical sources described heavy gunfire, explosions and aircraft overhead, while a member of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front said the fighting involved artillery and drones.

The confrontation is being seen as one of the most serious since the 2022 peace deal that ended Ethiopia’s two-year civil war in the north. That war, between the federal government and the TPLF, caused widespread devastation and large loss of life. BBC said the agreement has not been fully implemented, and tensions have risen again after the TPLF regained control of Tigray by pushing out the interim administration set up under the deal.

Both sides blamed each other for starting the violence. The Tigray-led regional administration accused federal forces of launching an attack aimed at dividing and subjugating the region, while Ethiopia’s minister Abraham Belay said clashes had occurred and urged dialogue. The reported fighting is also raising concern because western Tigray remains disputed and because conflict in the area could be affected by instability in neighboring Sudan. BBC said the number of dead or wounded was not yet clear.