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Residents across northern Ethiopia’s Tigray region rushed to buy food and fuel on Thursday as fresh fighting between regional forces and the government sparked widespread panic and drove up commodity prices.
The escalation follows Wednesday’s military offensive by Tigrayan forces, who seized local airports and attacked neighbouring Afar and Amhara regions.
Regional fighters framed the offensive as a defensive action following months of pressure from federal forces, raising serious fears of a return to the devastating 2020–2022 civil war that claimed roughly 600,000 lives.
In the regional capital of Mekelle, panicked residents flooded markets to stock up on essentials like flour, cooking oil, and fuel, fearing that federal authorities will once again cut off banking, electricity, telecommunications, and basic supply lines.
Fuel prices in Mekelle surged from 400 birr ($2.45) to 650 birr ($4.00) per litre almost overnight following the outbreak of violence.
Local business owners and residents expressed deep anguish over the renewed hostility, calling on both sides to negotiate to avoid another humanitarian catastrophe, especially given the ongoing severe drought and incomplete implementation of the 2022 peace agreement.
