The French Foreign Ministry on Thursday warned citizens to avoid a trip to Tigray in northern Ethiopia after clashes between the capital Mekele and the second city of Adigrat.
“In light of the continued internal clashes in Tigray, particularly in Adigrat and Mekel, travel throughout the Tigray region is currently unofficially unacceptable,” the ministry said on its website.
“The French people will be asked to leave Tigray as soon as possible to pass,” the advice added.
Between November 2020 and November 2022, the area was a conflict zone between federal forces and was supported by local militias, Eritrean forces and Tigrayan rebels.
The fighting killed at least 600,000 people in Tigray, according to the African Union before the peace agreement was signed in Pretoria, South Africa. In the contract, the parties agreed that a provisional government would be established to control Tigray until elections take place.
However, due to delays in the implementation of contracts, there was a sudden split within the TPLF. Getachew Reda, which led to the interim government. Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Ahmed AbhiDebretion is in the fight for control with Gebremishael.
On Tuesday, Getachew ordered the suspension of three generals in the Tigray Defense Force and accused rival factions of taking over the entire Tigray in an interview with the Tigrai Mass Media Agency.
fear
There is growing fear that Eritrea, an Ethiopian neighbour and historic rival, may take advantage of the situation to launch an invasion.
“We have been approaching a new conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia over the past two years,” Kjetil Tronvoll, a professor at the University of Oslo who specializes in the region, told French news agency AFP.
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“We just don’t know what the triggering factor is.”
He said the 2022 peace agreement, the dissatisfaction of Eritrea President Isayas Afelki, Abiy’s ambitions for Red Sea ports, and geopolitical interest from the Middle East all fell into deteriorating tensions.
“It brought the two countries closer to a new war,” he added. “The situation in Tigray can be a trigger factor.”
Abiy was praised, including winning the Nobel Peace Prize for ultimately reaching a peace agreement with Eritrea when he came to power in 2018.
This allowed the border to reopen to isolated countries. This has been determined that Afeworki has virtually not been challenged since 1993.
However, since the end of the Tigray War in 2022, relationships have been strained. “A war between Ethiopia and Eritrea can break out any time,” said General Tsadkan Gebretense, a senior strategist in the Chigray army of the Getachu administration, announced earlier this week.
