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Tigray displaced families fear renewed war as hopes of returning home fade
Families displaced from Western Tigray have spent years living in classrooms in Abi Adi, with many now fearing they may never return home. Renewed fighting since September has deepened uncertainty and exposed how unresolved disputes over territory and political control continue to threaten the 2022 peace agreement.
The Pretoria agreement ended two years of war that left an estimated 500,000 people dead and displaced millions, but it did not settle Western Tigray’s status or the return of displaced residents. Fighting escalated on 22 September 2026; TPLF forces seized Mekelle’s airport the next day, before federal forces retook the city on 4 October. Displaced families also report shortages of food, clean water and medicines, while aid groups have warned of attacks near civilian areas and displacement camps.
In short
- Displaced families in Abi Adi fear they may not return home.
- Renewed fighting has put the Tigray peace agreement under strain.
- Shelter residents report shortages of food, water and medicine.
Explained simply
Tigray is a region in northern Ethiopia, where a two-year war between Ethiopia’s federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), a powerful regional political and military force, ended with a peace agreement signed in Pretoria in 2022. The fighting killed many people and forced millions from their homes.
The agreement stopped the war but left the status of Western Tigray unresolved, including who controls the area and whether displaced residents can return. These questions matter because disputes over land and political power remain a source of tension, while many families living away from home depend on aid for food, clean water and medicine.