Fighting Resumes in Tigray: The Cost of Accountability Gaps

When Ethiopia's federal government and Tigrayan forces signed the Agreement for Cessation of Hostilities in November 2022, many hoped one of Africa's deadliest conflicts had finally ended. The guns fell silent, reconstruction began, and Ethiopians looked forward to a post-war era marked by justice for the atrocities committed.

However, according to Amnesty International, those hopes have not materialized. Instead of investigating abuses documented by international and local human rights organizations, accountability efforts have gradually stalled. The international investigation mandate was not renewed, the Ethiopian government abandoned its proposed transitional justice process, and allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity have largely gone uninvestigated and unpunished.

Less than four years after the agreement was signed, fighting has returned to Tigray. Amnesty said clashes that erupted in early August between Tigrayan forces and the Ethiopian National Defense Forces are a stark reminder of the dangers of impunity. The organization warns that civilians are once again at risk of serious human rights violations, while the region has yet to recover from the devastation of the previous war.

The renewed fighting comes amid ongoing conflicts in Ethiopia's Amhara and Oromia regions, where Amnesty says serious human rights violations are still being committed. According to the organization, these conflicts reflect the expanding scope of Ethiopia's security and human rights crisis.

During the war in northern Ethiopia from November 2020 to November 2022, Amnesty International and other international organizations documented widespread abuses that may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. Violations included extrajudicial killings, sexual violence, forced displacement, and denial of humanitarian aid.

According to Amnesty, the lack of independent investigations and credible prosecutions has sent a dangerous message: even the most serious crimes can be committed without consequence. The organization argues that this failure of accountability helps explain the return of violence.

International oversight of Ethiopia's human rights situation has also weakened after the mandates of key investigative mechanisms established by the United Nations and the African Union expired, reducing the international community's ability to document violations and bring those responsible to justice.

The organization also pointed to a severe deterioration in living conditions in Tigray in recent months, including increased restrictions on independent media, a forced recruitment campaign affecting thousands of people, and tighter limits on freedom of movement. This is evidence that the human rights situation was already worsening before the latest fighting erupted.

In response, Amnesty has called on Ethiopia's federal authorities and the Tigrayan authorities to comply with international human rights law and international humanitarian law, protect civilians, and allow human rights monitors, humanitarian organizations, and independent media access to affected areas.

For Amnesty International, the danger in Tigray now lies not only in the return of armed conflict, but also in the possibility that abuses similar to those documented in the previous war could recur if justice remains absent and impunity persists.