US Urges Restraint Over Ethiopia Tigray Crisis

The United States has called for restraint and renewed dialogue as fighting in Ethiopia’s Tigray region raises concerns of a wider regional conflict.

Washington’s warning came ahead of a meeting in Egypt on Sunday involving regional leaders, expected to discuss the escalating crisis.

The renewed fighting has strained Ethiopia’s relations with neighbouring Eritrea and Egypt, which Addis Ababa has accused of supporting Tigray rebels involved in attacks against federal forces.

The developments have also raised fears that Ethiopia could slide back into the devastating civil war that lasted from 2020 to 2022.

A diplomatic source told AFP that Sunday’s mini-summit would bring together the presidents of Egypt, Eritrea and Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, as well as the head of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, in Alamein, Egypt. 

The meeting is being held on the sidelines of an African Business Forum.

The summit comes a day after Ethiopian federal forces reportedly entered Mekelle, the capital of Tigray State, according to a humanitarian source.

Residents also reported that fighters from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) had withdrawn from the city.

Fighting began on September 23 in northern Ethiopia after the TPLF launched attacks against neighbouring states, declaring that it had entered a renewed and full-scale conflict with the government.

Federal troops and pro-government militias have pushed the rebels back in recent days and advanced northwards towards Mekelle.

The escalation has triggered a diplomatic dispute across the region.

Ethiopia expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats and closed its embassy in Asmara on Thursday after accusing Eritrea of supporting the conflict. Eritrea, which has accused Ethiopia of planning to invade its territory and secure access to the Red Sea, responded by threatening to sever diplomatic relations with its neighbour.

Ethiopia also expelled an Egyptian diplomat without giving a reason, prompting Cairo to take reciprocal action.

The US State Department warned on Saturday that rising tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea could have consequences beyond their borders.

Washington urged both countries to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of neighbouring states, exercise maximum restraint and return to dialogue and cooperation.

“Increasing cross-border tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea have the potential to affect the entire region,” the US State Department said in a statement.

“We strongly urge Ethiopia and Eritrea to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of their neighbors, exercise maximum restraint and return to dialogue and cooperation.”

TPLF leader Debretsion Gebremichael, meanwhile, said the conflict had taken on a regional dimension and was linked to control of the Red Sea.

Reports from Mekelle indicated that TPLF fighters and senior figures were leaving the city as federal and allied forces moved into various locations.

A humanitarian source told AFP that government offices and police stations in the city had reportedly been left without security personnel.

A journalist in Mekelle also reported the withdrawal of TPLF militants and leaders, although further details could not be independently verified because telecommunications networks in Tigray have been severely disrupted since the latest hostilities began.

Residents expressed concern over the potential for looting and a breakdown of law and order.

One resident told AFP that the absence of security personnel could leave government and public property vulnerable, while another said residents were worried about their personal safety and wanted security and order restored quickly.

“I am concerned that government and public property could be exposed to looting because there are no security forces in the city,” one local resident told AFP.

“Lawlessness could spread in the city, and I am also afraid for my life. I want us to quickly return to law and order,” another resident said.

The Ethiopian National Defence Forces and the office of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed did not respond to AFP’s requests for comment.

The TPLF has historically been the dominant political and military force in Tigray and ousted a government-appointed administration earlier this year.

Debretsion has also suggested that the group could return to guerrilla-style warfare, similar to its campaign after federal forces captured Mekelle in 2020.

The TPLF later recaptured the regional capital in mid-2021.

The group dominated Ethiopian politics for decades, ruling the country from 1991 until 2018, when Abiy Ahmed’s rise to power marginalised the TPLF.

The resulting tensions contributed to the 2020-2022 civil war, which the African Union estimates killed more than 600,000 people, making it one of the deadliest conflicts in recent years.

A peace agreement signed in Pretoria in 2022 and brokered by African institutions and the United States brought an uneasy end to the war. However, key provisions of the agreement were never fully implemented, leaving tensions unresolved.