Ethiopia: Tigray rebel authorities say they are "at total war" against the government

Rebel authorities in Tigrayan territory claimed on Thursday to be in "total war" against the Ethiopian government, as fighting raged between federal forces and armed groups in the neighbouring regional states of Amhara and Afar.

Tensions had been rising for months between the two sides, who fought an extremely bloody war from 2020 to 2022. At least 600,000 people died, according to the African Union, an estimate considered low by many experts.

Both sides accuse each other of wanting to start a new conflict, in an increasingly tense regional climate between Ethiopia and its Eritrean neighbor.

Federal troops have been massed for several months on the border with Tigray, facing Tigrayan soldiers. Federal authorities have also carried out dozens of drone strikes on the region since the beginning of August.

"There is fighting everywhere," assured Amanuel Assefa on Thursday, vice-president of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), a political group that has long governed Ethiopia and effectively rules this northern territory of the country, of which it took control of the three airports on Wednesday.

Clashes broke out on Thursday between federal forces and armed groups, particularly in Afar, where rebels seized several towns on Wednesday.

A humanitarian source in the region, who requested anonymity, reported heavy weapons fire around the town of Yalo in the Afar region, about 40 kilometers from Tigray. "There are wounded and displaced people," the source said.

Fighting is also taking place in the Amhara region.

This resumption of hostilities, which raises the specter of a new large-scale war, comes less than four years after the signing of a peace agreement in Pretoria.

"Immediate de-escalation"

Faced with this situation, the African Union and the European Union urged all parties on Wednesday to "immediate de-escalation".

On Wednesday, speaking at the UN General Assembly, Ethiopian President Taye Atske Selassie, who has a largely ceremonial role in this country of 130 million inhabitants, praised the "immense restraint" of his camp, despite "the persistent interference of hostile elements in our internal affairs," without giving further details.

Seven groups opposed to the federal government in various areas of the country - including the TPLF, the Amhara Fano militias and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) - announced on Sunday that they were joining forces to "overthrow" the executive in Addis Ababa.

The Coalition for Survival announced Wednesday that it would respond with "large-scale counter-offensives" to "large-scale air and ground attacks" by the federal army. These claims could not be verified by AFP.

Amanuel Assefa assured that members of Tigrayan armed groups were fighting alongside members of armed groups in Afar and Amhara, according to the terms of the alliance.

"Take" Addis

Fighting has also been reported around Waldiya, a strategic town in the Amhara region, located about 330 km from Addis Ababa, on a major road leading to the capital.

The goal of the armed groups is to "take" Addis, "but the tactical maneuvers they intend to use to reach the city remain unknown," observed Kjetil Tronvoll, a specialist on the region at Oslo New University College (Norway).

"However, there are only a limited number of routes leading to the capital, and one of the main roads starts from Weldiya," he further explained to AFP.

In Afar, the rebels' goal is also to cut off supplies to Addis Ababa, this time with Djibouti, the researcher says.

When contacted by AFP, the spokesperson for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed did not respond at this time.

As fate would have it, the United States lifted in September the sanctions and arms embargoes that had targeted Ethiopia and Eritrea since the Tigray war.

Mr. Abiy's government accuses the TPLF of having moved closer to armed groups from other regional states, as well as from neighbouring Eritrea, which was nevertheless fighting alongside it during the war in Tigray.

This former Italian colony, which became independent from Ethiopia in 1993 after three decades of war, has historically maintained very tense relations with its immense neighbor.

Eritrean President Isaias Afeworki had sent his army to assist Mr. Abiy against the TPLF between 2020 and 2022, but relations between the two leaders then quickly deteriorated seriously.

"We don't know what Eritrea's plans are," Mr. Amanuel evaded. When asked about the need for Asmara to intervene, he replied: "Not right now."

AFP