The authorities of the United States have launched an attack against the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) for initiating "a large-scale offensive" in the Tigray region, in northern Ethiopia, following the outbreak on Wednesday of new fighting that threatens to trigger a broad conflict again in the African country.
"I am disappointed to see that the leaders of the TPLF, whom the United States sanctioned earlier this year, have made the unfortunate decision to launch a large-scale offensive," said the U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia, Ervin Massinga, who emphasized that "rejecting the dialogue" promoted by the African Union (AU) and "embarking on an impossible fight to win" is a decision that "does not benefit the population at all."
In this line, he remarked that "it would be wise for other armed groups to avoid following this path," according to a statement released by the U.S. Embassy on its social media. "While the United States has mechanisms to sanction other leaders who attempt to take Ethiopia down the wrong path, I remain convinced that reasonable political dialogue is the correct way," he concluded.
The TPLF announced on Wednesday the start of a "defensive war" against Ethiopian federal forces and denounced that it was acting "after the intensification of the invasion through various methods by the autocratic and genocidal regime of the Prosperity Party (PP) of (Ethiopian Prime Minister) Abiy (Ahmed) against the people of Tigray," after weeks of tension and an increase in attacks, despite the peace agreement signed in 2022 after two years of war.
On the other hand, Getachew Reda, advisor to Abiy and former prominent leader of the TPLF, stated that the Tigrayan armed group launched "a large-scale offensive against government positions in Afar and Amhara." "It is evident that the political-military leadership of the TPLF has brought irresponsibility to unprecedented levels," he declared, before describing as "truly disheartening" that "the efforts of many, including the international community," have not succeeded in "preventing a new escalation of hostilities in Tigray."