Pope Leo XIV Urges Dialogue as Fighting Intensifies in Ethiopia’s Tigray

Pope Leo XIV has appealed for peace and dialogue in Ethiopia’s Tigray region and the neighbouring regions of Afar and Amhara, following a fresh escalation in fighting between Ethiopian federal troops and fighters affiliated with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.

The clashes intensified last week, breaking the relative calm established by a peace agreement that ended a two-year war in 2022. The pope made his appeal on Wednesday, urging all sides “to choose the path of dialogue.”

“Armed conflict never solves problems but only worsens them leaving in its wake a trail of death, destruction and resentment,” he said, while expressing hope that the international community would provide “generous” and “timely” humanitarian aid.

Fighting reported on several fronts

Fighting was reported to be continuing along several fronts, with government forces appearing to move northwards into Tigray towards Mekelle.

Pro-government forces said they had captured the strategic town of Alamata on Monday. That claim has not been independently verified.

Locals interviewed by AFP at a hospital described heavy shelling in Maychew. A senior health worker at Aydar Referral Hospital said the facility had treated 44 critically injured civilians, including 33 children, wounded in shelling in Maychew and Alamata between Saturday and Monday.

The health worker said at least four people died while being transported from the towns to the hospital. Describing the injuries, the worker said: “Some are blinded, some have their legs and hands amputated from the bombing.”

Unresolved peace agreement

The 2022 Pretoria Peace Agreement ended the previous civil war between the Ethiopian federal government, led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and the TPLF, which dominates politics in Tigray.

However, the agreement was never fully implemented. Since late 2025, the government has reportedly carried out multiple drone strikes in Tigray and assembled troops near the border, while the TPLF removed a government-appointed administration.

The latest mobilisation by rebel forces was aimed at an armed struggle that they hoped would result in the removal of the federal prime minister, according to the supplied report.

The overall number of deaths and injuries from the renewed fighting remains unclear. The reported developments have raised fresh concerns for civilians in Tigray and the neighbouring regions as the pope calls on the parties to return to dialogue.