Fears of a renewed civil war are mounting in Ethiopia as federal troops and Tigrayan forces amass along their border. Despite a 2022 peace agreement, relations have rapidly deteriorated, with Addis Ababa accusing neighboring Eritrea of colluding with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). Consequently, hundreds of civilians are fleeing the region daily amid severe food shortages and unpaid wages. The situation favors hardline political factions on both sides as it grants them a pretext to consolidate power by using the threat of war to rally their divided bases. However, if the situation further devolves, it will lead to mass displacement of Tigrayans, economic collapse, and the terrifying prospect of returning to deadly, widespread conflict. This renewed fighting risks drawing in Eritrea, which fought alongside Ethiopia’s federal government in the previous war although they’ve since fallen out, permanently shattering the ceasefire and plunging the Horn of Africa into catastrophic, long-term instability.
RFI
