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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →The Tigray conflict is both the 2020–2022 war between Ethiopia’s federal government and Tigray forces aligned with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), and a continuing political crisis over authority and territory in northern Ethiopia. An African Union-brokered agreement halted the war’s main phase in November 2022, but it did not settle those disputes. Renewed fighting was reported in September 2026; accounts of who restarted it remain contested.
What was the Tigray war?
The war began in November 2020, when a worsening dispute between Ethiopia’s federal government and the Tigray regional leadership escalated into armed conflict. It was not simply a local clash: federal and Tigrayan forces fought alongside other armed actors, and the conflict spread beyond Tigray into Amhara and Afar. A UK Home Office account describes the complex array of groups involved, while the Associated Press reported Eritrean troops fighting alongside Ethiopian forces.
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The TPLF was the dominant political force in Tigray and a central political force behind Tigrayan forces, but the party and every armed participant should not be treated as the same organization. The war’s principal phase ended with the November 2022 Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, but political tensions continued after the fighting subsided.
Why did the conflict begin?
A shift in national power
Before 2018, the TPLF was a leading component of Ethiopia’s ruling coalition and had outsized influence in national government. That political order coincided with economic growth and stability, but also generated resentment among many Ethiopians, according to International Crisis Group’s account of the power struggle.
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Abiy Ahmed became prime minister in 2018 after mass protests against the prior order. As the TPLF’s political leadership shifted its center of activity back to Tigray, relations between the regional leadership and the federal government deteriorated. The resulting conflict involved competing claims over political authority and the relationship between the federal state and the region.
The 2020 election dispute and contested outbreak
Tigray held a regional election in September 2020 in defiance of the federal government. The two sides gave competing accounts of the immediate events that led to war. International Crisis Group identifies Tigrayan forces’ overrunning of a major federal base as the event that sparked civil war; the UK Home Office’s December 2024 note records competing allegations about the sequence and responsibility. The immediate trigger is therefore disputed, even though the broader federal-regional confrontation had been building for years.
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Who were the main groups?
| Group | Role in the conflict |
|---|---|
| Ethiopian federal government and security forces | The central government, led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, was a principal party to the war and signatory to the 2022 agreement. |
| TPLF | Tigray’s dominant political organization and the federal government’s counterpart in the 2022 agreement; it was also the key political force behind Tigrayan forces. |
| Tigrayan forces | Armed forces aligned with the TPLF. They are distinct from the political organization itself. |
| Eritrean forces | Reported by the Associated Press as fighting alongside Ethiopian federal forces during the 2020–2022 war. Their role in developments reported in 2026 is contested. |
| Amhara forces and Fano | Amhara regional forces fought alongside federal forces during the earlier war. In September 2026, the Amhara Fano National Movement was reported as part of an opposition coalition with the TPLF; this does not establish a single command for all Fano forces. |
| Afar | The conflict spread into the Afar region during 2021. |
| African Union | Brokered the Pretoria peace process and later called for restraint and dialogue. |
The UK Home Office summarizes the armed-group context in its December 2024 country note. The alignment reported in September 2026 differed from the earlier wartime coalitions: the Associated Press said the TPLF announced an opposition coalition with six groups—the Amhara Fano National Movement, Oromo Liberation Army, Ogaden National Liberation Front, Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front, Benishangul Peoples’ Liberation Movement, and Gumuz Peoples’ Democratic Movement. The coalition announced a goal of removing Abiy’s governing Prosperity Party; the report does not establish that the alliance will be durable or that each group has a unified command.
What did the 2022 Pretoria agreement do?
On 2 November 2022, after talks launched on 25 October, the African Union announced a Cessation of Hostilities Agreement between Ethiopia’s federal government and the TPLF. It called for an immediate end to hostilities and set a basis for humanitarian access, restoration of services, healing, and reconciliation. The AU described it as “a solid foundation” for those steps and for preserving Ethiopia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Read the African Union announcement of the agreement.
The agreement stopped the main phase of the war, but it did not resolve who should exercise political authority in Tigray or control disputed territories. Questions over the interim administration’s makeup and mandate, and the extent of TPLF influence, remained contentious. The African Union continued to urge implementation and dialogue: on 30 January 2026, its Commission chair called on all parties to exercise restraint and resolve outstanding issues in keeping with the accord. The AU statement is dated and should not be read as a description of later events.
What was reported in 2026?
Dispute over Tigray’s interim leadership
In May 2026, International Crisis Group reported that the TPLF had pushed regional leader Tadesse Werede from office and formed a council led by party chair Debretsion Gebremichael. Disagreement between the federal government and the TPLF over the interim administration’s mandate and consultation under the agreement was part of the dispute. This episode illustrates how the postwar political arrangements remained unsettled. See International Crisis Group’s analysis and its Ethiopia and Tigray CrisisWatch entries.
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Renewed clashes reported in September
On 24 September 2026, the Associated Press reported renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia, with both sides accusing the other of restarting hostilities. AP also reported that TPLF fighters had seized Mekelle airport and that Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights to the region. These are developments reported on that date, not a settled account of responsibility or a guarantee of conditions after publication. The AP report also described the opposition coalition of the TPLF and six groups.
How many people died?
The Associated Press reported an estimate of 500,000 civilian deaths attributed to Ghent University researchers in 2026. The estimate includes deaths from violence, famine, and the collapse of health services; it is an attributed estimate, not a definitive agreed total. Its scope matters: it should not be presented as a count of people killed directly in combat.
What remains unresolved?
- Political authority: The federal government and TPLF have disagreed over the mandate and composition of Tigray’s interim administration.
- Territory: Disputed territorial control remained a source of tension after the 2022 agreement.
- Implementation and trust: The AU continued to call for compliance and dialogue, while the 2026 reports described renewed political confrontation and, in September, fighting.
These unresolved questions explain why the conflict is best understood not only as a 2020–2022 war, but also as an ongoing crisis whose political and security conditions can change.
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