THE INTERIM government of Ethiopia’s Tigray region has appealed for federal forces to intervene after a faction of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) seized control of two major towns. The action has raised fears of a return to civil war.

TPLF seized Adigrat, the second-biggest town in Tigray, on Tuesday and appointed a new administrator, ousting an office-holder loyal to the interim government. 

A day later it took control of Adi-Gudem, a town near the regional capital, Mekele. Several people in Adi-Gudem suffered gunshot wounds when armed forces attempted to occupy a government building.

The TPLF fought a brutal two-year war against federal forces, which ended in November 2022 with the signing of a peace agreement and formation of a TPLF-led interim government.

Hundreds of thousands of people are believed to have been killed in the fighting, which began in November 2020, with millions displaced and many left near famine in Africa’s second-most populous country.

However, since the war ended, the TPLF has splintered. Its leader, Debretsion Gebremichael, expelled interim government head Getachew Reda from the party in October, along with four members of his cabinet.

In retaliation, Mr Reda, who was the chief negotiator of the peace agreement, temporarily suspended four senior military commanders who he believed were aligned with Gebremichael’s faction.

“The region may be on the brink of another crisis,” read a statement on Wednesday from the Tigray Communication Affairs Bureau, which is part of the interim government.

Mr Reda has described the TPLF’s recent actions as a “potential coup attempt.”

In a televised interview, he emphasised the need for the international community to closely monitor the escalating situation in the war-torn region.

“The parties to the Pretoria Agreement should really take into account the deteriorating situation in Tigray and the far-reaching ramifications of the unravelling of the Pretoria agreements,” he said.

TPLF deputy chairman Amanuel Assefa told reporters that the current crises have nothing to do with the Pretoria agreement but are largely related to law enforcement.

“The TPLF and the Tigray forces are the rightful owners of the Pretoria Agreement. Therefore, there is no reason to engage in any actions that would violate that,” he said.