The Tigray Defence Forces (TDF) on January 26 entered the disputed Ethiopian territory of Tselemt in the northwestern Tigray region, clashing with federal troops and militias from the neighboring Amhara region. This prompted analysts to warn that continued fighting in Tigray could ignite another war. Tigray, the northernmost region of Ethiopia, has been in a power struggle since 2018, when Tigrayan leaders lost their dominant influence in Ethiopia’s government. When the war broke out in 2020, Amhara militias seized western Tigray, where hundreds of thousands of people were forced to flee. A few thousand people returned to their Tigray homes in 2024, but many faced intimidation and abuse from Amhara militias.

Source: Ethiopian News February 17, 2026 20:20 UTC