Ethiopia’s Tigray rebels say federal government is preparing to wage war

Rebels in Ethiopia’s restive Tigray region say they believe the federal authorities are preparing to “wage war” again the northern regional state.

There have been reports that the Ethiopian National Defence Force has massed troops and equipment at multiple locations along the regional border.

Tigray emerged from a two-year civil war in 2022 that saw federal forces, backed by militias and the Eritrean army, clash with rebels from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).

It’s estimated that at least 600,000 people were killed in the conflict.

A ceasefire held for more than two years, but there have been sporadic clashes between federal and Tigrayan forces since November last year.

The TPLF dominated Ethiopian politics for some 30 years before current Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, a non-Tigrayan, took power in 2018.

Federal authorities have accused the group of growing closer to neighbouring Eritrea, which maintains fragile relations with Addis Ababa.

The two countries have been at loggerheads recently over landlocked Ethiopia’s desire for Red Sea access, with Asmara fearing it will try to achieve this by invading.

Analysts say a war would be devastating for all three players in a region where past conflicts have cost hundreds of thousands of lives.