UN Rights Chief Urges De-Escalation in Ethiopia’s Tigray
Last update: February 10, 2026
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UN rights chief warns of renewed conflict in Tigray, calls for urgent de-escalation.
The United Nations rights chief on Tuesday urged all parties in Ethiopia to urgently de-escalate tensions amid a fragile situation in the Tigray region.
Volker Turk warned that recent clashes between the Ethiopian army and regional forces risk a return to full-scale conflict and a worsening of the human rights crisis in northern Ethiopia.
Turk emphasized that political dialogue and confidence-building measures are urgently needed rather than a renewed resort to armed violence.
The renewed tensions come after a war between Ethiopian forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front that the African Union estimates killed at least 600,000 people before it ended in late 2022. More than one million civilians remain internally displaced.
The UN rights office expressed concern over clashes late last month between the Ethiopian military and Tigray Security Forces in Tsemlet, western Tigray, an area also claimed by forces from the neighbouring Amhara region.
The TSF withdrew from the area on February 1. Both sides reportedly used drones, artillery, and other heavy weapons, and engaged in arrests and detentions, which Turk said must stop.
Clashes are also ongoing in southern and southeastern Tigray near the Afar border between the TSF and the rival Tigray Peace Forces.
CBI News reports that Turk urged all parties to step back from the brink and resolve their differences politically. He also demanded that all allegations of serious violations and abuses be promptly and independently investigated regardless of the perpetrators.
