Fighting has flared up in one of the disputed areas between Ethiopia’s Tigray and Amhara regions in a rare episode of violence after a peace accord signed in late 2022 ended one of Africa’s deadliest wars.
Raya Alamata district – claimed by both regions – had been under southern Tigray before war broke out but has since been seized by Amhara forces.
Residents told that fighting began over the weekend and continued for days.
Amhara officials accused fighters aligned with the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) of launching offensives, while the head of Southern Tigray said Amhara militiamen opened fire.
The opposition National Movement of the Amhara (NaMA) in a statement blamed the TPLF which it said was launching “an invasion.”
Getachew Reda, the head of Tigray’s interim administration, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), blamed “diehard enemies” of the peace deal “from near or far” for the recent incidents without giving further details.
He said the reported violence did not entail conflicts between Tigrayan forces and the federal government or between the neighbouring regions Tigray and Amhara.
It is not clear if there are any casualties but pro-Amhara media outlets reported that Tigrayan forces advanced into some of the district on Monday.
The Ethiopian federal government has recently said the army would control disputed areas until a resolution is made.
There are concerns that this could further complicate the conflict that has been raging since August last year in Amhara – Ethiopia’s second most populous region – between local militias and the army.