Ethiopia “could be engulfed in a very bloody confrontation”: Catholic Bishop on Brewing Tension in Tigray Region

In a Reuters report on March 13, Gen. Tsadkan Gebretensae, a vice president in the interim administration in the Tigray region, is quoted as saying, “at any moment, the war between Ethiopia and Eritrea could break out.” 

Fears of renewed violence are linked to the split in TPLF, the party that fought against Ethiopia’s federal army during the two-year war, and runs Tigray’s postwar interim administration.

During the war, Eritrean forces crossed the border into the Tigray region and fought in support of Ethiopia’s federal army against TPLF forces. 

According to Reuters: “The peace deal signed in November 2022 drove a wedge between Ethiopia and Eritrea, which was not party to the negotiations.”

“Fears of a new conflict are linked to the TPLF’s split last year into a faction that now administers Tigray with the blessing of Ethiopia’s federal government and another that opposes it,” Reuters’ March 13 report said. 

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According to the same report, on March 11 a TPLF-dissident faction captured Adigrat, accusing the leadership of Tigray of “selling out Tigrayan interests, while the interim administration accuses the dissidents of collaborating with Eritrea.”

The seizing of Adigrat follows the capture of “key offices and a radio station in the regional capital, Mekelle,” according to a March 14 BBC News report.

In a March 12 Reuters report, the head of Tigray’s interim administration, Getachew Reda, is quoted as asking for Ethiopian government support against the dissidents, who have since denied ties to Eritrea.

On March 16, Modern Diplomacy reported that “a war between Ethiopia and Eritrea would ignite a regional firestorm, further destabilizing an already volatile landscape” considering the civil wars in Sudan and South Sudan.

In the March 25 report by Agenzia Fides, Bishop Medhin says that generally, the internal political situation in Tigray is unfavorable. He says, “The division between local politicians and the sudden interruption of USAID funding is severely penalizing millions of people.”

Bishop Medhin reports that relief entities including the Catholic Relief Services in Ethiopia - the humanitarian agency of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that provides emergency food aid, has seen its activities suspended.

“We have been informed that they will continue to operate with private funding, but only for smaller programs. We do not yet know what these will consist of,” explains the Bishop.

He says, “For the rest, in a context of great anguish and suffering for our people, we are trying to move forward as a Church, to give hope to the people and be a sign of hope for them. We try to be at their side and work for healing from the trauma of the bloody conflicts of which they have been victims.”

Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.