https://www.dw.com/en/ethiopia-faces-renewed-strain-with-tigray-and-eritrea/a-76056011
A sense of anxiety is hard to miss in Tigray. Though the 2022 Pretoria peace agreement brought an end to fighting between the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), many in Tigray say life today is like walking on eggshells.
The TPLF, once the dominant party in Ethiopia’s ruling coalition (EPRDF) and the region’s political anchor, has split into rival factions competing for influence, leaving residents unsure who truly speaks for them.
The political division has created a vacuum. Meanwhile, Ethiopia’s federal government accuses Eritrea of supporting the TPLF, an accusation the TPLF and Asmara deny. But among Tigrayans, it feels like the ghosts of war have not gone away.
Multiple news outlets indicate that Ethiopian government soldiers and Tigrayan fighters have deployed along the Tigrayan region’s northern border.
“The situation is very frightening,” Mustafa Abdu, a legal expert and political analyst based in Tigray’s capital, Mekelle, said.
“The federal defense forces are stationed at all borders. Therefore, there are indications that this [war] is inevitable,” Abdu told DW, adding that according to the Pretoria agreement, the federal government is responsible for protecting the borders.
The looming threat of war has sent prices in Tigray skyrocketing.
“Just last week, a liter of petrol was 220 [Ethiopian] Birr ($1.42, €1.20). But as the tension of war increases, the price increases by 50, 60, 70 more birr every day since then,” Gebre Tsadiq Abraha, a taxi driver in Mekelle, told DW. The situation is forcing residents to take drastic measures.
“People are forced to hoard not only fuel but also food and other essential goods,” Nathaniel Tekleberhan, a resident of Mekelle said.
“Those who are suffering from chronic diseases, such as diabetes, are forced to buy and store them in large quantities. This is also because of the last experience, many people lost their lives during the last war due to lack of medicine,” he adds.
Real risk of war
Amdom Gebreselassie, chairperson of Arena Tigray for Democracy and Sovereignty, told DW: “The TPLF is also militarily active in the region.”
He warned that Shabia, another name for the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF), was infiltrating several areas, particularly intelligence personnel. “Many are fully deployed. There is a risk of war, therefore, an outbreak of war is feared.”
“The people of Tigray are in dire straits,” Abdu said. “The war has hit them hard. They have not yet overcome their pain.”
He added that there is no market in Tigray, and the banks are empty.
