Ethiopian Army, Tigray Rebels Halt Fighting After Border Clashes

Hostilities between Ethiopia’s military and Tigray rebels have eased following intense fighting near the Sudanese border, local and security sources told AFP on Sunday.

A member of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) said the clashes had ended, describing the situation as a de-escalation while declining to disclose casualty figures.

“There is a de-escalation,” the source said.

The source explained that heavy fighting, involving artillery and drone attacks, erupted in Shererina at around 6:00 a.m. local time on Saturday and lasted until approximately 5:00 a.m. the next day.

A security official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the fighting had stopped.

Before the violence subsided, the TPLF accused the Ethiopian federal government of escalating the conflict, alleging it had “intensified its destructive actions and taken them to a higher level” and launched what it described as a “large-scale infantry offensive.”

Federal authorities have yet to respond to the accusations, while AFP said it was unable to independently verify the TPLF’s claims or confirm the identities of the forces involved in the clashes.

The violence occurred in the contested western Tigray region, which is currently controlled by Amhara nationalists.

Federal forces and Tigrayan fighters have remained heavily deployed along northern Tigray for several months, with both sides accusing each other of preparing for renewed conflict.

The latest clashes have deepened concerns that Ethiopia could slide back into war less than four years after the end of the devastating conflict between the federal government and the TPLF, which was supported by local militias and Eritrean forces.

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