Tigray war

This article contains several patronymic names rather than family names. These persons are addressed by their given name, and not by their inherited name.
Tigray war
Part of the Ethiopian civil conflict (2018–present)
Clockwise from top:
A man passing by a destroyed T-72 tank in Idaga Hamus; destroyed building in Hawzen; cemetery for victims of the Mai Kadra massacre; an IDP camp in Shire; a house destroyed during a battle to control Hawzen
Date3 November 2020[a] – 3 November 2022
(2 years)
Location
Tigray, Amhara, and Afar Regions of Ethiopia; Eritrea; Eritrea–Ethiopia border; Spillovers in Al Qadarif, Sudan
Result

Peace Agreement

Belligerents

UFEFCF (2021–22)[5][6]

Commanders and leaders
Units involved
Strength

c. 500,000 (Oct 2022)[22]

250,000 (Oct 2022)[24]
Casualties and losses

Over 7,000

killed, 2,300 injured, 2,000 captured (early 2021 Ethiopian military claim)[33]
Exact casualty figures are disputed
Total deaths:

The Tigray war[b] was an armed conflict that lasted from 3 November 2020[a] to 3 November 2022.[45][46] It was a civil war[47] that was primarily fought in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia between forces allied to the Ethiopian federal government and Eritrea on one side, and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) on the other.[48][49]

After years of increased tensions and hostilities between the TPLF and the governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea, fighting began when TPLF forces attacked the Northern Command headquarters of the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF), alongside a number of other bases in Tigray.[50] The ENDF counterattacked from the south – while Eritrean Defence Forces (EDF) began launching attacks from the north – which Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed described as a "law enforcement operation".[51][52] Federal allied forces captured Mekelle, the capital of the Tigray Region, on 28 November, after which Abiy declared the operation "over."[53][54] However, the TPLF stated soon afterwards that it would continue fighting until the "invaders" were out,[55][56] and on 28 June 2021, the Tigray Defense Forces (TDF) retook Mekelle; by July the same year, they had also advanced into the Amhara and Afar regions.[57] In early November 2021, the TDF, together with the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), took control of several towns on the highway south from Tigray Region towards Addis Ababa, and the TPLF stated that it considered "marching on [the capital]."[58][59] Together with seven smaller rebel groups, the TPLF and OLA declared a coalition aiming to "dismantle Abiy's government by force or by negotiations, and then form a transitional authority."[60]

After a successful government counter-offensive in response, and then a series of negotiations with the TPLF, Ethiopia declared an indefinite humanitarian truce on 24 March 2022, in order to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid into Tigray.[61] However, fighting dramatically re-escalated in late August 2022, after peace talks broke down.[62] Rapid mobilization of troops soon followed, with Ethiopia, Eritrea and Tigray reportedly organizing hundreds of thousands of troops against each other by October the same year.[22] After a number of peace and mediation proposals in the intervening years, Ethiopia and the Tigrayan rebel forces agreed to a cessation of hostilities on 2 November, which went into effect the day after;[46] Eritrea was not a party to the agreement, however,[63] and they largely continued to occupy parts of Tigray as of 2023.[64]

All sides, particularly the ENDF, EDF, Amhara forces and TDF, committed war crimes during the conflict.[65][66][67][68][69] Mass extrajudicial killings of civilians took place throughout, including in Axum,[70] Bora,[71] Chenna,[72][73] Kobo,[74][75] the Hitsats refugee camp,[76] Humera,[77] Mai Kadra,[69][78] the Mahbere Dego,[71][79] and Zalambessa.[80] Between 162,000 and 600,000 people were killed,[40][39] and war rape became a "daily" occurrence, with girls as young as 8 and women as old as 72 being raped, often in front of their families.[81][82] A major humanitarian crisis developed as a result of the war,[35] which led to a widespread famine.[83][37] It also inflicted immense economic damage on the region, with the cost of rebuilding alone estimated to be roughly $20 billion.[84]

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