Residents of Ethiopia’s northern city of Adigrat are pleading for peace following reports of Eritrean soldiers moving through the area, raising fears of another devastating conflict in Tigray.
Footage filmed on Sunday shows Ethiopian troops patrolling Adigrat, around 25 kilometres from the Eritrean border, while burnt-out and abandoned vehicles litter roads still scarred by the previous war.
Residents are urging rival Tigrayan factions to put aside their differences and prevent another round of bloodshed.
“We want both the TPF (Tigray Peace Force), which controls our city, and the TDF (Tigray Defense Forces), which is in the mountains, to make peace,” said resident Haftom Mulugeta.
“We want them to work together for the future of young people – the youth in our city want to work, so both sides must reach an agreement, we want peace,” he added.
For former Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) fighter Alexander Tsegay, the scars of war are more than a memory. He now walks with a limp after suffering a leg injury during the previous conflict.
“After the war, the situation in Adigrat is becoming more peaceful, we hope peace will return fully,” Tsegay said.
“I do not want others to suffer like me, I injured my leg during the previous war, and now I cannot run – I want other young people to learn from my experience and avoid such injuries,” he continued.
The appeals follow accusations from Addis Ababa that Eritrea has sent troops across the border and is supporting the TPLF. Ethiopia has warned it will defend its territory, while Eritrea strongly denies the allegations, accusing its neighbour of using them as a pretext for military aggression.
Fighting resumed in September between Ethiopian government forces and the TPLF, threatening to unravel the fragile peace agreement signed in November 2022.
The African Union-brokered deal brought an end to two years of devastating war in northern Ethiopia, although both the federal government and the TPLF have since accused each other of violating its terms.
The renewed clashes have also fuelled tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea, former allies during the Tigray war who are now trading accusations over troop movements and territorial sovereignty.
Source: Viory
