Afar region accuses TPLF fighters of crossing border and seizing villages

Authorities in Ethiopia’s Afar region on Wednesday accused fighters from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) of crossing into the region and seizing six villages, marking one of the most serious flare-ups since the end of the northern Ethiopia conflict.

According to the Afar regional government, TPLF forces allegedly launched heavy-weapon attacks in the Tonsa area of Megale district, targeting pastoralist communities. The authorities warned that the region would “defend itself from external attack” if what they described as continued assaults persist.

The TPLF, which once dominated Ethiopian politics for nearly 30 years until its removal from federal power in 2018, fought a brutal two-year conflict against federal forces and their allies from 2020 to 2022. The war ended with the Pretoria Agreement, restoring relative calm but leaving behind mistrust and pockets of tension across northern Ethiopia.

Since the peace deal, internal divisions have emerged within the TPLF, with some senior figures forming new political movements. Among them is Getachew Reda, who served as Tigray’s interim leader after the agreement and now holds a federal advisory role.

The TPLF has not yet responded to the accusations from the Afar regional government.