Ethiopian National Defence Force soldiers patrol a street during operations in Ethiopia. Photo: AFP

NNA News - Ethiopia’s National Defence Force has claimed that 272 Tigray People’s Liberation Front fighters were killed and 260 wounded during fighting in the North Wollo zone of the Amhara Region, as renewed hostilities raise concerns over the future of the 2022 Pretoria peace agreement.

The Ethiopian army said the fighting followed a TPLF offensive on Tuesday night. In a statement reported on Thursday, the military said it had “strongly repelled” the attack after Tigrayan forces attempted to advance into several districts of North Wollo. The ENDF also said a “large number of enemy forces were captured” and that weapons and ammunition had been seized. The military did not provide a corresponding figure for its own casualties or civilian casualties.

The Ethiopian military has not independently verified the casualty figures it announced. Independent reporting has confirmed renewed fighting in North Wollo and neighbouring areas but has not established the ENDF's stated death toll. The escalation follows months of deteriorating relations between Ethiopia’s federal government and Tigray authorities. The TPLF and six other Ethiopian opposition and armed groups announced a new alliance earlier this week, bringing together groups that have previously fought against the federal government and, in some cases, against one another.

TPLF representatives told AFP on Thursday that the confrontation had reached a “full-blown war” with the federal government. The statement comes amid fighting reported in Amhara and Afar and the seizure of airports in Mekelle, Axum and Shire by Tigrayan forces. The African Union has called for an immediate reduction in tensions. AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said the organisation was “gravely concerned” by the renewed military escalation and called for “utmost restraint and the immediate cessation of all actions that could further escalate tensions”.

The AU said the Pretoria Agreement, signed on Nov. 2, 2022, between the Ethiopian government and the TPLF, remains the framework for sustainable peace. It called for the resumption of direct talks and said former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo would engage the parties as part of renewed diplomatic efforts. The United Nations has also expressed concern over the deterioration. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on all parties to “exercise maximum restraint” and “immediately de-escalate tensions”, while urging the protection of civilians and safe humanitarian access.

The renewed fighting recalls the 2020–2022 Tigray conflict, which ended with the Pretoria Agreement after a two-year war. The latest hostilities have already spread beyond Tigray, with fighting reported in neighbouring Amhara and Afar regions. AFP reported that the African Union estimates the previous conflict caused more than 600,000 deaths.

The immediate focus is now on whether the renewed military confrontation expands further and whether diplomatic efforts by the African Union and other international actors can restore the dialogue framework established by the Pretoria agreement.