Africa

Ethiopia’s ceasefire ends as fighting erupts in north

Resumption of conflict saps hopes for peaceful resolution of civil war that began nearly two years ago

Rebel fighters outside Mekelle, the capital of the northern Ethiopian region of Tigray, on June 29th last year. Photograph: Finbarr O'Reilly/New York Times

Andres Schipani in Nairobi
Thu Aug 25 2022 - 17:51

Fighting has erupted in northern Ethiopia, ending a months-long ceasefire and dashing hopes for peace in a conflict that has already cost thousands of lives and displaced millions of people.

The fighting deals a blow to tentative plans for peace talks between the government of prime minister Abiy Ahmed and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, the party that controls Tigray and previously ran Ethiopia for three decades.

Both sides denied firing the first shot and each blamed the other for restarting hostilities. Fighting had been reported in parts of southern Tigray and an area bordering the Amhara region, the government and TPLF said.

“Ignoring all of the peace alternatives presented by the government, the terrorist group TPLF continued its recent provocations and launched an attack,” the Ethiopian government said. “They officially violated the ceasefire.”

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The TPLF blamed the regime for the offensive. “We will have to defend,” said Kindeya Gebrehiwot, a spokesman for the TPLF.

The war, which began in November 2020, has sullied western support for Mr Abiy, a Nobel Peace Prize winner who sent troops north to crush the TPLF after, he said, their fighters had attacked a garrison in Tigray’s capital, Mekelle.

The civil war has also cost Ethiopia, one of the biggest economies in east Africa, billions in donor support and duty-free access to the US. Since the beginning of the year, the conflict had eased, spurring hopes for peace.

“The Ethiopian government has nothing to gain by starting another round of conflict, it would be a significant reversal of everything that we have been trying for the past six months to get the economy right – not to mention the tragic loss of young lives,” said a senior Ethiopian official.

In January, Addis Ababa released opposition leaders from prison and signalled its willingness to talk to its opponents. In late March, it declared a “unilateral truce” to allow food aid to get through to the blockaded northernmost region. In late April, Tigrayan forces fully withdrew from the Afar region, paving the way for back-channel talks between officials from Addis Ababa and Mekelle.

But bones of contention – including the withdrawal of Eritrean and Amhara forces, the resolution of a long-running land dispute between Amhara and Tigray, and the investigation of atrocities allegedly committed by all sides – remained.

The Ethiopian government said in a statement on Wednesday that last week it “unveiled its proposal for peace which includes plans for a ceasefire and restoration of services to the region”, but accused the TPLF of “a strong desire to continue fighting”.

Tigray’s military command said the Ethiopian forces and fighters from Amhara began “an extensive offensive” on Wednesday in a “flagrant violation of the cessation of hostilities agreement” that had been in place for months.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken warned that “a return to active conflict would result in widespread suffering, human rights abuses and further economic hardships”. UN secretary-general António Guterres called for the resumption of peace talks, as did the African Union, which is trying to broker negotiations.

In an open letter dated Tuesday, the TPLF leader, Debretsion Gebremichael, said his side stood ready to “negotiate in good faith” but the peace process “envisaged” by the African Union was being “set up to fail”. He demanded the federal government restore essential services in Tigray, unfettered humanitarian access, accountability for “war crimes”, withdrawal of all foreign forces and the return of western Tigray, which is now under Amhara control.

Redwan Hussien, national security adviser to Mr Abiy, said about a month ago that talks should start without preconditions, adding that there had been no limit on the number of flights and trucks carrying aid into the region.

With more than five million in dire need of food, international agencies said aid has been going into Tigray since a humanitarian truce was declared in late March, but the World Food Programme accused Tigrayan authorities of this week stealing fuel. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2022

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