Tigray Must Not Become a Proxy War Zone Again!!
From Ceasefire to Crisis: Preventing the Collapse of Peace in Tigray!!
ANU-PRESS RELEASE
Agaezi National Union (ANU)
On the Current Developments in Tigray, Ethiopia
Date: 15 February 2026
The Agaezi National Union (ANU) expresses its grave concern regarding the rapidly deteriorating situation in Tigray, Ethiopia, and the growing risks to civilian protection, regional stability, and sustainable peace.
While acknowledging the signing of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement in November 2022, ANU notes with alarm emerging developments that threaten to reverse fragile gains and plunge the region back into devastating conflict.
Escalating Military and Political Risks
ANU has received deeply concerning reports indicating:
- The continued presence and deployment of Eritrean forces across multiple areas of Tigray, including Mekelle, with mechanized units. Such developments risk turning Tigray into a military buffer zone for Eritrea.
- Allegations that elements within the TPLF have begun forced recruitment practices, including the mobilization of minors, and the appropriation of public resources in preparation for renewed conflict.
- Reports of emerging military and political coordination between certain TPLF commanders and Eritrean actors, raising serious concerns about transparency and accountability.
- Preparations by federal forces, including the deployment of modern drone technologies, reportedly framed as actions against armed factions but carrying grave risks for civilian communities across Tigray.
These developments collectively create a dangerous environment in which Tigray risks once again becoming a battlefield and proxy buffer zone between competing military and political actors.
Protection of Civilians and Risk of Renewed Atrocities
The people of Tigray remain in an extremely vulnerable position. Many communities continue to suffer from displacement, destroyed infrastructure, trauma, and economic collapse. Any renewed military confrontation — whether between federal forces, Eritrean forces, or armed regional factions — would have catastrophic humanitarian consequences.
ANU stresses that civilians must never be treated as instruments of war or collateral damage in political power struggles. Forced recruitment of children, collective punishment, destruction of property, and indiscriminate military operations are unacceptable under international humanitarian and human rights law.
The absence of credible justice, accountability, reparations, and meaningful reconciliation mechanisms further deepens public mistrust and leaves communities exposed to renewed cycles of violence.
Humanitarian and Protection Concerns
ANU reiterates the urgent need to:
- Ensure full and unimpeded humanitarian access across all areas of Tigray.
- Restore essential services, including healthcare, banking, telecommunications, electricity, and education.
- Address severe food insecurity and malnutrition affecting vulnerable populations.
- Protect internally displaced persons (IDPs) and facilitate safe, voluntary, and dignified returns.
- Guarantee protection for women, children, and survivors of conflict-related violence.
All armed actors must prioritize civilian protection in accordance with national and international legal obligations.
Political Dialogue and Institutional Stability
Sustainable peace requires more than military positioning. It demands inclusive and transparent political processes rooted in legitimacy and public trust.
ANU calls for:
- Immediate de-escalation by all armed actors.
- An end to forced recruitment and militarization of civilian spaces.
- A halt to any actions that risk transforming Tigray into a proxy war zone.
- Genuine political dialogue involving federal authorities, regional stakeholders, civil society, and community representatives.
- Independent monitoring mechanisms to ensure compliance with peace commitments.
Call to the International Community
Given the seriousness of the situation, ANU calls upon:
- The Federal Government of Ethiopia,
- The Interim Regional Administration of Tigray,
- The Eritrean authorities,
- Regional actors,
- International partners and multilateral institutions,
- State and non-state actors committed to peace and stability,
to take urgent diplomatic and preventive measures to avoid renewed large-scale violence.
The international community must stand with the civilian population of Tigray and actively support peaceful solutions, accountability mechanisms, and protection frameworks that prevent further atrocities.
Commitment to Peace and Human Dignity
The Agaezi National Union reaffirms its commitment to non-violence, justice, human dignity, and peaceful political engagement.
We warn against any return to destructive warfare driven by political rivalry or factional interests. The people of Tigray must not again be subjected to devastating conflict in the name of competing armed actors.
ANU urges all parties to immediately cease escalatory actions and pursue peaceful, lawful, and accountable solutions.
The future of Tigray must be built on justice, reconciliation, and inclusive governance — not on renewed war.
ANU warns of renewed conflict dynamics, militarization, and the urgent need for de-escalation, humanitarian access, and inclusive political dialogue.
NB: The Agaezi National Union (ANU), as a civilizational political framework rooted in Ethiopia’s historic continuity, affirms a fundamental truth: durable peace, stability, and national progress cannot be achieved through fragmented identity politics.
ANU firmly rejects all forms of tribal, ethnic, and exclusionary political structures that weaken social cohesion, erode national unity, and undermine long-term development. Ethiopia stands at a historic crossroads. The country cannot afford a future shaped by narrow identity-based politics or competing sub-national agendas.
What Ethiopia requires—and what ANU offers—is a civilizational vision grounded in unity, historical continuity, and shared values.
The Civilizational Framework
ANU advances a political philosophy that promotes:
- Long-term national cohesion
- Sustainable peace and security
- Inclusive and balanced development
- A unifying Geez civilizational identity rooted in shared heritage
This framework transcends fragmentation and reorients political life toward a dignified, stable, and unified national future.
A civilizational political approach in Ethiopia would:
- Re-anchor governance in shared historical and cultural foundations
- Cultivate a supra-ethnic national identity
- Promote a stable constitutional ethos grounded in common values rather than contested ethnic boundaries
- Strengthen long-term peace, security, and sustainable development
Importantly, this vision does not erase local identities. Rather, it situates them within a broader, cohesive historical narrative that affirms unity without denying diversity.
The Limits of Ethnic Political Fragmentation
The contemporary shift toward ethnic federalism and the proliferation of ethnically organized political parties has contributed to:
- Structural fragmentation
- Competition over administrative zones and resources
- Identity-based political entrepreneurship
- Cyclical conflict and mistrust between communities
Many scholars describe this trajectory as a departure from Ethiopia’s long-standing civilizational continuity toward sub-national fragmentation.
Comparative political analysis demonstrates that ethnic politics is structurally limited, inherently divisive, and prone to institutional instability. By contrast, civilizational politics provides a historically grounded and unifying framework capable of sustaining long-term peace, cohesion, and development.
Ethiopia’s Civilizational Heritage
Ethiopia possesses one of the world’s oldest continuous civilizational traditions. This heritage includes:
- The Geʽez language and script
- Shared religious and philosophical traditions
- Legal-historical continuity spanning millennia
- Cultural institutions that historically integrated multiple communities
This civilizational matrix unified diverse peoples under a shared cultural horizon while allowing local identities to coexist within a broader framework of belonging.
Rebuilding political identity upon this civilizational foundation is not a rejection of diversity—it is a restoration of historical coherence and long-term stability.
A Call for Renewal
ANU stands ready to provide a principled, civilizational political framework—one that transcends fragmentation and advances unity, justice, and shared destiny.
All Ethiopians committed to national cohesion, peace, and civilizational renewal are encouraged to engage with and uplift this vision.
The future of Ethiopia must not be defined by fragmentation, but by continuity.
The Agaezi National Union (ANU) expresses grave concern over escalating military alignments and political maneuvering that risk turning Tigray into a proxy war zone once again.
Recent developments indicate rising tensions involving federal forces of Ethiopia, Eritrean military presence from Eritrea, and armed regional actors. These dynamics threaten the fragile peace that followed the 2022 Cessation of Hostilities Agreement and place civilians at renewed risk of violence, displacement, and instability.
Tigray must not be reduced to a strategic buffer zone or battleground for competing military and political interests. The people of Tigray have already endured immense suffering—destruction of infrastructure, humanitarian crisis, displacement, and profound social trauma. Any renewed confrontation would carry devastating consequences.
ANU calls for:
- Immediate de-escalation by all armed actors
- An end to forced recruitment and militarization of civilian communities
- Respect for humanitarian law and civilian protection
- Transparent political dialogue involving legitimate civilian representatives
- Independent monitoring of security developments
The transformation of Tigray into a theater of proxy confrontation would undermine regional stability and deepen cycles of mistrust and conflict. Peace cannot be sustained through militarization; it must be built through accountable governance, justice, reconciliation, and inclusive political processes.
The international community, regional institutions, and peace-oriented actors must act preventively and decisively to ensure that Tigray does not once again become a battlefield shaped by external alignments and internal factional struggles.
ANU reiterates its commitment to non-violence, justice, and a peaceful political future grounded in dignity and collective security.
The people of Tigray deserve protection—not another war.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Agaezi National Union (ANU)
voiceofgeezpeople@gmail.com
-+41 79 628 22 07
