Adyabo Times

Political reporting and analysis on Tigray, past and present, written from Adyabo and for Tigrayans everywhere.

Peace Process

Pretoria’s Broken Promise: Why Tigray’s Peace Failed Its People

The Pretoria Agreement failed to deliver lasting peace because its promises lacked strong enforcement, displaced Tigrayans remained unable to return home, and justice remained incomplete. Tigrayan leaders deserve scrutiny for accepting inadequate safeguards and allowing political divisions to undermine recovery. The African Union must answer for ineffective monitoring, while Western partners should explain why diplomatic and economic cooperation advanced without sufficient accountability. Allegations of deliberate betrayal or favoritism remain unproven; the clearest failure is the continued suffering of civilians.

Adyabo Times·5 Oct 2026·5 min read
Current Situation

The Price Paid to Hold a Country Together

Tigray played a pivotal role in defeating Ethiopia’s dictatorship in 1991 and shaping the federal system that followed. Although the EPRDF’s rule deserves scrutiny, its failures cannot justify collective blame against Tigrayans. The subsequent war inflicted documented mass killings, sexual violence, starvation, and displacement on civilians, creating a profound betrayal of the promise of shared citizenship. Ethiopia’s unity must rest on equal protection, historical truth, and accountability—not on any community’s suffering or silence.

Adyabo Times·5 Oct 2026·4 min read
Current Situation

Back to the brink: what we know about the fighting that began on 22 September

Months of rising tension between Mekelle and Addis Ababa turned into open fighting across Tigray, Afar and Amhara. Here is what has been reported so far.

Adyabo Times·4 Oct 2026·1 min read
Peace Process

From Pretoria to collapse: how the 2022 peace deal unravelled

The agreement that ended the last war left the hardest questions for later. Four years on, those questions brought the parties back to conflict.

Adyabo Times·3 Oct 2026·1 min read
History

The 2020–2022 war: a timeline

Two years of fighting reshaped Tigray. A short guide to how it began, how it spread, and how it stopped.

Adyabo Times·1 Oct 2026·1 min read
Western Tigray

Western Tigray: Ethnic Cleansing, Historical Belonging and the Right to Return

Ethinic cleansing happening in western Tigray, Western Tigray has longstanding historical ties to Tigray that predate Ethiopia’s modern federal system. Haile Selassie’s imperial reorganisation placed western territories under Begemder/Gondar, while punitive boundary changes following the 1943 Woyane rebellion detached southern territories from Tigray. These changes challenge claims that the areas have always been Amhara land. During the war beginning in 2020, human rights organisations documented ethnic cleansing, forced displacement and pillage against Tigrayans in Western Tigray. The Pretoria agreement did not settle the territorial question; lasting peace requires recognition of history, accountability and the safe return of displaced communities.

Adyabo Times·28 Sept 2026·2 min read
History

Fifty years of the TPLF: from armed struggle to a fractured party

Founded in 1975, the TPLF went from guerrilla movement to the centre of national power, and then to open conflict with Addis Ababa.

Adyabo Times·24 Sept 2026·1 min read
Adyabo

Tigray Under Renewed Attack: Civilians Need Protection, Truth, and Accountability

We are collecting first-hand accounts of the war years and the present crisis from people in and from Adyabo.

Adyabo Times·20 Sept 2026·2 min read
Opinion

Editor's note: why Adyabo Times exists

Opinion. A space for Tigrayan voices to explain their own history and argue about their own future.

Adyabo Times·18 Sept 2026·2 min read
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Current Situation

Tigray Under Renewed Attack: International Action Must Put Civilian Lives First Reports of deadly air attacks and continuing artillery fire demand urgent pressure on Ethiopia’s government, independent investigations and humanitarian access.

Adyabo Times | Editorial | 6 October 2026 Renewed fighting in Tigray has brought reports of deadly air attacks, continuing artillery fire and shortages of essential supplies. Reuters reported at least 17 deaths in air attacks northwest of Mekelle, citing a humanitarian bulletin; the victims’ civilian status and responsibility for individual strikes require independent investigation. Adyabo Times urges the international community to press Ethiopia’s government to protect civilians, allow humanitarian access and cooperate with independent investigators. Military suppliers should suspend transfers that risk enabling unlawful attacks, while all armed parties must face accountability for verified abuses.

Adyabo Times·6 Oct 2026·3 min read

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Renewed warfare in Tigray demands an immediate international response. Reports of deaths from air attacks, continuing artillery fire and severe shortages should move civilian protection to the centre of diplomatic action. Ethiopia’s government must answer for the conduct of its forces and allow independent scrutiny of attacks that have reportedly killed people.

On 5 October, Reuters reported that airstrikes and artillery fire had struck northern Tigray following the withdrawal of TPLF forces from Mekelle. According to a bulletin circulated among humanitarian organisations, air attacks northwest of the city killed at least 17 people. That figure remains a reported toll: the available account does not establish every victim’s civilian status or responsibility for each individual strike. It nevertheless demands urgent investigation.

Associated Press reporting on 6 October described a government-allied commander saying that operations to capture further territory were continuing with support from drone strikes. AP could not independently verify his account of those strikes. Residents of Mekelle described commerce beginning to resume, but shortages of essential goods and cash continued to restrict daily life. The reopening of some markets cannot be treated as evidence that civilians across Tigray are safe.

Human Rights Watch dates the renewed hostilities to 22 September, following earlier reported clashes and airstrikes. Its warning is clear: past atrocities and continuing impunity heighten the danger of further abuses. The organisation has called for immediate international action to protect civilians and robust monitoring of the parties’ conduct.

For the international community, expressions of concern must now become concrete demands. Adyabo Times calls on the United Nations, African Union, European Union, United States and other influential governments to press Ethiopian authorities to halt attacks that endanger civilians, disclose information about reported deadly strikes and permit independent investigators to reach affected locations.

An investigation must establish who was killed, which forces carried out each attack, what was targeted and what precautions were taken. Evidence must be preserved, survivors protected and findings made public. Where unlawful attacks are established, accountability must extend to those who ordered or enabled them.

Governments supplying military equipment should urgently review transfers of drones, munitions, components and related support. Transfers that risk facilitating unlawful attacks should be suspended. Targeted sanctions against individuals credibly implicated in serious abuses should be considered alongside diplomatic pressure, with humanitarian assistance protected.

Civilian survival also requires reliable access to food, medicine, shelter and emergency care. International actors should demand unhindered humanitarian access, safe medical evacuation and access for independent journalists. People must be able to seek safety without being punished for their ethnicity, residence or presumed political allegiance.

These demands must apply to every armed actor. The Guardian’s reporting on allegations of forced recruitment by TPLF-aligned forces, including boys as young as 15, also requires investigation and urgent protection measures. Such allegations cannot excuse abuses by government forces; each party must answer for its own conduct.

The international response must be measured by whether it protects people. Diplomatic engagement with Ethiopia’s government should carry clear expectations: civilian protection, humanitarian access, independent monitoring and accountability for verified abuses.

Tigray’s families deserve more than another statement issued after another reported attack. They need action that prevents the next death, treats the wounded and ensures that those responsible for unlawful violence face consequences.