AU 'deeply concerned' about north Ethiopia tensions

The African Union (AU) has expressed "deep concern" about "escalating tensions between local communities" in a disputed area of northern Ethiopia.

More than 50,000 people have been displaced by this month's clashes in Alamata Town, Raya Alamata, Zata and Ofla - all part of a disputed area claimed by the Tigray region and neighbouring Amhara region.

The district had been under Tigrayan administration until war broke out between the federal government and Tigrayan forces in 2020. The Amhara forces, which fought alongside the federal army during the war, have since seized the areas.

According to a statement published on Friday, AU Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat "calls on both sides to urgently halt hostilities and ensure the safety of civilians to end the renewed displacement of the local population."

He also "calls for the commencement of the political dialogue, which is the most viable means to respond to the issues of contested areas".

The escalating violence threatens to disrupt the implementation of the peace agreement signed by the federal government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) in Pretoria, South Africa, in November 2022 that ended the civil war.