Amnesty Urges AU Emergency Session as Fighting Spreads Across Northern Ethiopia

Amnesty International has called on the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) to convene an emergency session on Ethiopia as fighting between Tigrayan forces and federal troops, along with their respective allies, expands across Tigray and parts of the neighboring Afar and Amhara regions. In a statement issued on October 2, 2026, the human rights organization warned that renewed hostilities—which erupted on September 21—have involved heavy artillery shelling, air strikes, reports of forced conscription, and significant damage to civilian infrastructure, warning that these acts could constitute severe violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.

Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, urged the African Union to formally place Ethiopia on the Peace and Security Council agenda and activate its conflict response mechanisms. Chagutah highlighted that the African Union served as a key guarantor of the November 2022 Pretoria Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, which previously ended two years of devastating war between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. Rights monitors report that combat between Tigrayan forces, allied Amhara Fano fighters, the Ethiopian National Defence Force, and their respective allies has intensified across southern Tigray, northern Amhara, and western Afar, accompanied by aerial bombardments targeting Mekelle and Axum, alongside ground combat around Maychew and Alamata.

The sudden escalation follows months of mounting political friction between the federal government and the TPLF over the implementation of the Pretoria peace framework. Tensions heightened further in September following formation of coalition between TPLF and other armed forces.

The expanding internal conflict coincides with a sharp diplomatic rupture across the Horn of Africa. On October 1, Ethiopia announced the immediate closure of its embassy in Asmara and the expulsion of 10 Eritrean diplomats, accusing Asmara of actions threatening Ethiopia’s national security. Eritrea responded by severing diplomatic relations with Ethiopia entirely.

Against the backdrop of broader trilateral friction involving Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Egypt, African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf issued a statement offering support for de-escalation and calling on all three member states to exercise maximum restraint, maintain diplomatic communication, and resolve disputes peacefully in accordance with the AU Constitutive Act. The AU has also tasked former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo to lead mediation efforts to bring federal and Tigrayan leaders back to the dialogue table under the Pretoria framework.

Concurrently, humanitarian conditions across the northern regions are deteriorating rapidly. UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ethiopia Ozonnia Ojielo warned on September 30 that the resumed fighting poses grave protection risks to civilians, particularly those previously displaced by earlier conflict. Ojielo revealed that relief agencies have faced severe operational disruptions, including the seizure of at least 10 humanitarian vehicles between 2025 and 2026, with only two recovered to date. Amnesty International added that communications blackouts across Tigray, Afar, and Amhara are obstructing independent monitoring and urged all parties to grant immediate, unimpeded access to journalists, human rights monitors, and aid organizations.