Ethiopia claims Tigrayan forces preparing offensive against govt

Hardline elements of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), a powerful party with fraught relations with Addis Ababa, have "decided to launch an offensive against the federal government in the coming days", said Getachew Reda, minister of east African affairs, and intelligence chief Redwan Hussein.

In an editorial on the website of Al Jazeera, they said the TPLF was preparing to "trigger a new conflict" with the help of neighbouring Eritrea, which has hostile relations with Addis Ababa.

The TPLF has not yet responded to requests for comment from AFP.

A two-year conflict earlier this decade between Tigrayan forces and federal troops, supported by local militias and the Eritrean army, killed roughly 600,000 people, according to African Union estimates.

It ended with a peace deal in 2022.

Direct clashes between Tigrayan forces and the federal army broke out again in late 2025, for the first time since the signing of the peace deal.

At the end of April, the TPLF said they had reinstated a regional parliament, which had been suspended.

"In clear violation of the Pretoria Agreement, the rump TPLF has dismantled the regional interim administration and set up its own illegal administration," the editorial added.