Hundreds of Ethiopians have fled the Tigray region into neighboring Sudan following intense fighting between regional forces and the Ethiopian army over the weekend. The confrontations, described as among the most serious since the end of the region's civil war four years ago, erupted Saturday morning in Shererina, near the Sudanese border.
A member of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) stated that the violence, which continued into Sunday, involved heavy artillery and drones. The two-year civil war in northern Ethiopia between the TPLF and the federal government concluded with an African Union-brokered peace deal in 2022, following hundreds of thousands of deaths.
Concerns are rising about a potential return to full-scale conflict, as the peace deal has not been fully implemented. The TPLF has regained control of Tigray, displacing the interim administration established as part of the conflict resolution.
There are also worries that the current fighting could become entangled with the Sudanese civil war, with accusations that factions in Sudan are supporting opposing sides in Ethiopia. Both the TPLF and federal authorities have accused each other of initiating the weekend's clashes.
The TPLF-led regional administration asserted that the federal government launched an "open war" in the Shererina area, violating the peace agreement and aiming to "subjugate and divide" the people of Tigray. While the federal government and army have not released an official statement, Minister Abraham Belay confirmed the clashes occurred. He accused the "TPLF clique" of initiating the fighting and warned of "worse consequences" if the conflict persists, while also calling for dialogue and peaceful negotiations.
The exact death toll from the weekend's fighting remains unclear. Sudanese medical and local sources reported that civilians and wounded fighters crossed the border, and witnesses described hearing explosions, gunfire, and aircraft throughout Saturday. Shererina, a locality in western Tigray, is strategically significant as western Tigray has been a disputed territory between Tigray and the Amhara region since the civil war.