Neither war nor peace in Tigray - is Ethiopia's latest conflict really over?

What the report says

The BBC Africa reports that Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region remains unsettled after a fresh round of fighting between the federal army and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), reviving a conflict that officially ended in 2022. According to the article, federal forces have taken control of most of Tigray’s main towns, including Mekelle, after the TPLF described its pullback as a “strategic withdrawal.” The report says it is unclear whether the group can mount an effective counteroffensive, although its spokesperson insists the retreat was deliberate rather than a defeat.

The article describes a region marked by uncertainty and economic strain. Residents in Mekelle told BBC correspondents that normal life has not returned: businesses are weak, basic needs are a priority, and many people fear what comes next. The BBC also notes that communication lines, which were cut when the fighting began, have since been restored, but access to the region remains limited and information is difficult to verify.

BBC Africa says both sides claim fighting is continuing in parts of central, northern and north-western Tigray, with reports of artillery, drone strikes and troop movements near the Eritrean border. Analysts cited in the piece disagree on the outlook: some see the TPLF as weakened and fragmented, while others think it could still sustain a prolonged insurgency. The report places these developments in the broader context of the devastating 2020-2022 Tigray war, whose violence and alleged abuses still shape local fears and instability.