Ethiopian Army Says 272 Tigrayan Fighters Killed In Fresh Amhara Fighting

Ethiopia’s army says it killed 272 Tigrayan fighters and wounded 260 others after the TPLF launched an offensive in Amhara’s North Wollo Zone. The government said it carried out a counter-offensive but remained open to dialogue. The renewed fighting has raised concerns over the future of the 2022 Pretoria peace agreement, with the African Union and UN Secretary-General António Guterres urging both sides to exercise restraint and return to negotiations.

ETHIOPIAN ARMY REPORTS HEAVY TPLF CASUALTIES

Ethiopia’s army says it has killed 272 fighters from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) after the group launched an offensive in the Amhara region, marking the government’s first public statement since renewed fighting erupted.
The Ethiopian National Defence Force said on Thursday that TPLF forces attacked several areas of North Wollo Zone in Amhara, which borders the Tigray region.
The army said government forces responded with a counter-offensive that caused heavy casualties among the TPLF.
According to the military, 272 TPLF fighters were killed and another 260 wounded.
The figures were provided by the Ethiopian military and could not be independently verified.

FIGHTING ERUPTS NEAR THE TIGRAY-AMHARA BORDER

North Wollo is strategically important because it lies close to Tigray and has previously been affected by Ethiopia’s prolonged internal conflicts.
The latest fighting represents a serious escalation after months of growing tensions between the federal government and Tigrayan forces.
The TPLF was the dominant political and military force in Tigray during the war that began in 2020 and later fought against federal forces and their allies.
The conflict ended with the Pretoria Cessation of Hostilities Agreement in November 2022.

GOVERNMENT ACCUSES TPLF OF PLANNED ATTACK

A government official told Reuters that the TPLF's latest offensive was planned in advance and targeted civilian infrastructure.
The official did not provide details about the specific infrastructure allegedly attacked.
The government nevertheless said it remained open to dialogue with armed groups that were prepared to lay down their weapons.
That position reflects the continuing tension between military operations and efforts to preserve the 2022 peace agreement.

ETHIOPIAN PRESIDENT WARNS OF EXTERNAL INTERFERENCE

The renewed violence came shortly after Ethiopian President Taye Atske Selassie addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The president said Ethiopia had exercised what he described as “immense restraint” despite interference from what he called adversarial external elements.
His comments came as concerns increased that the renewed Tigray fighting could develop into a broader conflict involving other Ethiopian regions or neighbouring countries.
The Ethiopian government has previously accused external actors of contributing to instability, while different parties to the conflict have exchanged competing accusations over responsibility for renewed violence.

AFRICAN UNION CALLS FOR RESTRAINT

The African Union has called on the parties to exercise restraint and avoid further escalation.
The continental organisation said the 2022 Pretoria Cessation of Hostilities Agreement remains the foundation for resolving the conflict.
The agreement ended two years of devastating war between Ethiopia’s federal government and Tigrayan forces.
It also established a framework for disarmament, humanitarian access and a political process aimed at addressing the causes of the conflict.

UN CHIEF URGES RETURN TO DIALOGUE

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has also urged the parties to reduce tensions and return to negotiations under the Pretoria agreement.
The UN has repeatedly warned about the humanitarian consequences of renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia.
The 2020-2022 Tigray war caused widespread displacement and severe disruption to food supplies, healthcare and other essential services.
A return to large-scale fighting could therefore place additional pressure on communities that are still recovering from the previous conflict.

TIGRAY WAR LEFT DEEP HUMANITARIAN DAMAGE

The Tigray war was one of Ethiopia’s most serious internal conflicts in recent decades.
The fighting involved Ethiopian federal forces, Tigrayan forces and allied forces from other parts of the country.
Large numbers of civilians were displaced, while humanitarian organisations reported widespread food insecurity and shortages of medical supplies during the conflict.
The Pretoria agreement brought an end to most large-scale fighting, but several political and security disputes remained unresolved.

UNRESOLVED ISSUES CONTINUE TO FUEL TENSIONS

Despite the 2022 agreement, tensions have continued over political authority, security arrangements, disputed territories and the implementation of the peace deal.
The status of territories contested between Tigray and neighbouring Amhara has remained particularly sensitive.
The latest fighting in North Wollo has therefore raised concerns that unresolved territorial and political disputes could once again trigger wider violence.

DANGER OF A WIDER CONFLICT

The renewed clashes come at a sensitive time for Ethiopia, where armed conflicts and political tensions have also affected parts of Amhara and Oromia.
A prolonged confrontation involving Tigrayan and federal forces could create new displacement and place additional pressure on the country's already strained humanitarian situation.
It could also complicate Ethiopia’s relations with neighbouring countries and undermine regional stability in the Horn of Africa.

DIPLOMACY REMAINS THE MAIN PATH TO PEACE

Despite the latest military escalation, both the African Union and the United Nations continue to point to dialogue as the route towards a lasting settlement.
The Ethiopian government has also said the door remains open to talks with groups willing to end armed resistance.
The challenge now is whether the parties can prevent the latest clashes from developing into another prolonged conflict.
For communities in Tigray and Amhara, the immediate concern is avoiding a return to the widespread violence and humanitarian suffering that followed the outbreak of war in 2020.
The latest claims of heavy casualties underline the seriousness of the escalation, but the competing accounts and limited independent access to the affected areas mean the full scale of the fighting remains unclear.