How fresh fighting in Tigray could spark wider conflict in Ethiopia

Ethiopia fighting: Could the conflict between Tigray's TPLF and the army spread? - BBC News

Fighting has erupted in Ethiopia's northern region of Tigray between regional forces and the national army.

Tigray residents, who have been trying to recover from a brutal two-year war that ended in 2022, fear a return to full-scale conflict.

There are reports of panic buying - and now internet and call services have been disrupted.

This means people cannot get access to their money via digital apps in what has become a largely cashless society after ATMs stopped working several months ago.

It follows more than six months of worsening relations between the government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the party that runs Tigray.

The African Union (AU) brokered a peace deal, known as the Pretoria Agreement, between the two sides, ending the war nearly four years ago - but several issues have remained unresolved that have inflamed tensions.

This year, both sides have been trading blame while troops have mobilised amid pockets of fighting.

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