Fear Grips Mekelle as Renewed Ethiopia Fighting Shatters Tigray Peace Deal

Residents of Mekelle, the largest city in northern Ethiopia, described an atmosphere of fear on Friday as renewed clashes between federal troops and fighters loyal to the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) prompted many to try to leave for other provinces.

Internet service was reported to be disrupted across parts of northern Ethiopia, while roads linking Tigray with the neighbouring Afar region were said to be closed to civilian traffic. The reported closures could not be independently verified.

"There is an atmosphere of fear," said Selam Fantay, a garlic vendor in the Tigrayan capital. "People are deeply concerned that the suspension of transport services signals the outbreak of renewed conflict."

Businessman Hailay Meles warned that severed transport links would push up the cost of essentials. "As long as this conflict persists, it will continue to drive up the prices of basic commodities," he said.

Valerie Browning, co-founder of the Afar Pastoralist Development Association, said many people were fleeing Tigray into Afar and that explosions had been heard overnight. She said vehicles belonging to her humanitarian group, including ambulances, were being requisitioned by the government for the war effort.

The renewed hostilities have undone a 2022 peace agreement that ended a devastating two-year war in Tigray. The TPLF, an armed political movement that dominated Ethiopia's ruling coalition from 1991 to 2018, has been outlawed by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government.

After the November 2022 accord, a caretaker administration reporting to Abiy governed Mekelle. Tensions persisted, and in May caretaker leader Tadesse Werede was removed and replaced by a TPLF figure who had led Tigrayans during the 2020-2022 war.

Both sides accuse each other of violating the peace deal. Federal authorities have recently alleged that the TPLF sought an alliance with neighbouring Eritrea to destabilise Ethiopia, while the TPLF has accused Addis Ababa of carrying out drone strikes in Tigray. Eritrea, whose troops fought alongside Ethiopian forces in the earlier conflict, has said it is alarmed by Abiy's repeated calls for sovereign access to the Red Sea through Eritrea.

Ethiopia's military said on Thursday that dozens of TPLF fighters had been killed in ongoing operations, with others detained and weapons seized. Air travel into the region was suspended this week after TPLF loyalists seized Mekelle's airport from federal police, prompting Ethiopian Airlines to cancel flights.

The fighting erupted days after seven opposition groups announced a coalition aimed at removing Abiy's recently reelected Prosperity Party government. Magnus Taylor of the International Crisis Group said the alliance blends political opposition to Abiy with military coordination among armed groups across Ethiopia.

In addition to the TPLF, the coalition's prominent members include the Amhara Fano National Movement and the Oromo Liberation Army. Taylor warned that coordinated campaigns could open multiple fronts against the federal government. "I think there is a real risk that the fighting could spread around the country," he said.