Renewed Tigray fighting triggers fresh exodus to Sudan
The worst escalation of violence in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region since the 2022 Pretoria peace agreement has driven a fresh wave of civilians toward neighbouring Sudan, according to FRANCE 24 correspondent Tom Canetti reporting from Addis Ababa.
Heavy fighting erupted over the weekend between forces loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Ethiopian federal government, shattering a fragile calm that had held across much of the region. Both sides have traded blame for triggering the renewed hostilities, with each accusing the other of opening fire first. The clashes mark the most serious breakdown of the Pretoria agreement — formally known as the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA) — since it was signed in November 2022 to end the two-year war that had devastated Tigray.
Civilians flee across the border
A mass exodus is now under way, with families crossing westward into eastern Sudan in search of safety. Those fleeing have spoken of fears that the weekend’s violence could spiral into a broader regional confrontation, drawing in neighbouring states and destabilising the wider Horn of Africa. As FRANCE 24 reported, a pause in the fighting has held since August 1st, but the calm has done little to reassure residents who have already endured years of war, mass displacement and food insecurity.
Background to the Pretoria deal
The Pretoria agreement was brokered under the auspices of the African Union and led to a disarmament process in Tigray, the resumption of humanitarian access, and the gradual restoration of federal services to the region. The deal had been credited with allowing large numbers of internally displaced people to return home, though observers warned that key political disputes between the federal government in Addis Ababa and the TPLF leadership in Mekelle remained unresolved. Those unresolved tensions — over the status of Tigray’s regional forces, the fate of TPLF officials removed from political office, and control of key infrastructure — have long been viewed by analysts as potential triggers for renewed confrontation.
A region still recovering
Tigray bore the brunt of the 2020-2022 conflict, which caused widespread death and displacement before the Pretoria deal brought a formal end to the fighting. The humanitarian situation in the region had only begun to recover in recent months as aid convoys resumed and some basic services were restored. The renewed fighting threatens to undo those gains, complicating relief efforts and raising the prospect of another large-scale displacement crisis in a part of Ethiopia that has already absorbed years of suffering. International observers will be watching closely to see whether the post-August 1st calm endures, or whether the weekend’s clashes mark the start of a deeper unraveling of the Pretoria framework.
Sources
This report was written from coverage published by the following news organisations. Follow the links for the original reporting.
