Renewed fighting in Ethiopia's Tigray region has shattered the November 2022 Pretoria peace agreement following the withdrawal of the Tigray People's Liberation Front from Mekelle in October 2026. While senior official Redae Halefom Woldeselassie from Ethiopia's new six-month caretaker administration urged rebels to disarm, rebel commander Lieutenant General Fisseha Kidanu vowed to continue resistance, as tensions escalate with neighboring Eritrea.
Mekelle rebel withdrawal
- ▪Tigray People's Liberation Front fighters withdrew from Mekelle in early October 2026, allowing Ethiopian government-allied forces to enter the Tigray regional capital on October 4, 2026.
- ▪A drone strike on October 20, 2026 killed four civilians and wounded six others loading goats onto a truck in Finariwa, 80 kilometers south of Mekelle.
Disarmament calls versus resistance
- ▪Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed stated on October 19, 2026 that the Tigray People's Liberation Front was acquiring weapons and forcibly recruiting young people instead of disarming under the November 2022 Pretoria peace agreement.
- ▪Lieutenant General Fisseha Kidanu, commander of the Tigray army, pledged on October 22, 2026 on Tigray Broadcast Media to reverse military setbacks and called on local militias to engage government forces.
- ▪Redae Halefom Woldeselassie, a senior official in Tigray's new federally backed administration, urged rebel fighters on October 23, 2026 to lay down weapons and enter a disarmament and reintegration program.
Federal caretaker administration establishment
- ▪Ethiopia's federal government established a six-month caretaker administration in Tigray following the capture of Mekelle in October 2026.
- ▪Tigray's new federal-backed caretaker administration committed to restoring public services, facilitating the return of displaced residents, and preparing the region for elections.
Tigray Peace Force divisions
- ▪Redae Halefom Woldeselassie stated on October 23, 2026 that Ethiopian military troops and allied security forces were conducting joint operations in Mekelle to prevent looting.
- ▪The Ethiopian government's allies in the region include the Tigray Peace Force, composed of former members of the armed wing of the Tigray People's Liberation Front.
Eritrea involvement
- ▪Ethiopian forces recaptured an airport and several towns from the Tigray People's Liberation Front in October 2026 while advancing toward the border with Eritrea.
- ▪Renewed fighting in Tigray in September 2026 effectively collapsed the November 2022 Pretoria peace agreement, which had ended a two-year war that Belgian Ghent University researchers estimated caused 500,000 civilian deaths.
- ▪Ethiopia accused Eritrea of supporting the Tigray People's Liberation Front and sending troops across the border into Tigray, leading Ethiopia and Eritrea to sever diplomatic relations.
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