Thu Mar 13 19:20:00 UTC 2025: ## Tigray Region Faces Potential Return to Civil War Amidst Factional Fighting

**ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (March 14, 2025)** – The Tigray region of Ethiopia is teetering on the brink of renewed civil war following a power struggle within the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). A faction of the TPLF, led by Debretsion Gebremichael, has seized control of two major towns, Adigrat and Adi-Gudem, sparking fears of a return to the brutal two-year conflict that ended in November 2022 with the signing of the Pretoria Peace Agreement.

The recent seizures, which resulted in injuries from gunfire during the occupation of a government building in Adi-Gudem, have prompted the interim Tigray government, headed by Getachew Reda, to appeal for intervention from the Ethiopian federal government. Reda, who was the chief negotiator of the peace agreement, has described the TPLF’s actions as a “potential coup attempt” and warned of the dire consequences for the peace process. He urged the international community, a key guarantor of the agreement, to closely monitor the escalating situation.

The conflict stems from a power struggle within the TPLF. Following the expulsion of Reda and four cabinet members from the party by Gebremichael in October 2024, Reda temporarily suspended senior military commanders perceived as loyal to Gebremichael’s faction. While TPLF deputy chairman Amanuel Assefa claims the current crisis is unrelated to the Pretoria Agreement and constitutes law enforcement, Reda contends otherwise, highlighting the risk of the agreement’s unraveling.

The renewed violence threatens to undo the fragile peace established after a war that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, displaced millions, and pushed many to the brink of famine. The situation underscores the fragility of the peace process and the ongoing tensions within the Tigray region.

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