Abiy Ahmed, the prime minister of Ethiopia, says his government does not want another war with the northern region of Tigray, even as reports emerge of troop buildups near the region’s borders that have raised fears of renewed conflict. Speaking in an interview broadcast Thursday by the national news agency, Abiy said disputes with Tigray’s leadership should be resolved through dialogue rather than fighting. “On our part, we believe problems should be resolved only through dialogue. We don’t want war,” he said, speaking partly in Tigrinya, the language widely used in Tigray.
The warning comes amid growing tension between federal authorities and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the political movement that governed Ethiopia for nearly three decades before Abiy took office in 2018. The group was later sidelined and designated as a terrorist organization by the federal government during the conflict. Tigray emerged from a devastating two-year war in November 2022 after a ceasefire brokered by the African Union. The conflict is one of the deadliest in recent history; pitted federal forces, allied regional militias and troops from Eritrea against TPLF fighters. The African Union estimates that at least 600,000 people died, with millions displaced and widespread destruction across northern Ethiopia. Although the truce largely halted large-scale fighting, tensions have resurfaced in recent months. Clashes were reported in November and again in January, and both sides have since deployed troops along the region’s borders.
In an interview earlier this week, TPLF deputy leader Amanuel Assefa accused the federal government of preparing for another war. “The federal government is preparing itself to wage a war against Tigray,” he said. Federal officials, however, have alleged that the TPLF is strengthening ties with neighboring Eritrea, a claim the group denies. Relations between Addis Ababa and Asmara have grown increasingly tense, particularly over Ethiopia’s access to the sea and concerns about the strategic port of Assab. Abiy also warned that Eritrea could attempt to destabilize Ethiopia. “We will not give it a chance to hurt our people once again. If it tries, I believe it will be its last attempt,” he said. The rising rhetoric highlights the fragile nature of the post-war peace in Ethiopia, where unresolved political disputes, humanitarian challenges and regional rivalries continue to threaten stability in the Horn of Africa.
