Ethiopian PM Says Country Does not Want war
Last update: March 6, 2026
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Rising troop movements near Tigray border fuel fears of renewed conflict.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said his government does not want war, even as authorities in the northern Tigray region warn that federal forces are gathering near the area, raising concerns of a possible return to large scale fighting.
Tigray emerged in 2022 from a devastating two year war that pitted Ethiopian federal forces, backed by regional militias and the Eritrean army, against fighters from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.
The Tigray People’s Liberation Front, or TPLF, dominated Ethiopian politics for about three decades before Abiy, who is not from the Tigrayan ethnic group, came to power in 2018. After his rise, the group was sidelined and later banned.
The conflict between the federal government and Tigrayan forces is estimated to have killed at least 600,000 people, according to figures from the African Union.
A ceasefire largely held for more than two years following the peace agreement, but tensions have resurfaced. Clashes between federal and Tigrayan forces were reported again in November last year and in January.
In recent weeks, large numbers of Ethiopian federal troops have reportedly gathered near the Tigray border, while Tigrayan forces have also deployed in the area.
Speaking in an interview broadcast late Thursday by the Ethiopian News Agency, Abiy said his government preferred dialogue over confrontation.
Abiy, speaking unusually in Tigrinya, the language widely spoken in Tigray, accused some members of the TPLF of preventing meaningful talks.
He said certain figures within the group were obstructing dialogue and that the TPLF was not willing to make even small compromises.
However, Tigrayan leaders have accused the federal government of preparing for renewed hostilities.
In an interview with reporters on Wednesday, TPLF deputy leader Amanuel Assefa said the federal government was preparing for a new war against Tigray.
The federal authorities have accused the TPLF of growing closer to neighbouring Eritrea, which maintains fragile relations with Addis Ababa. The group has denied this.
Eritrea accuses its landlocked neighbour of eyeing its port of Assab.
The two countries fought a deadly war from May 1998 to June 2000 for control of several border towns.
In the interview, Abiy also said that Eritrea would "not hesitate to destabilise the country".
