“The situation remains highly volatile and we fear it will further deteriorate, worsening the region’s already precarious human rights and humanitarian situation,” Mr. Türk said, following clashes in recent days between the Ethiopian army and regional forces.

The development comes against a backdrop of deadly conflict in Tigray from 2020 to 2022 between Government troops and separatist Tigray forces, following rising tensions between national and regional authorities.

That conflict – in which Eritrean soldiers reportedly participated - is believed to have killed tens of thousands and uprooted more than two million civilians, of whom one million remain internally displaced today.

Intensifying fighting

According to the UN human rights office (OHCHR), the latest escalation saw clashes between the Ethiopian National Defence Forces (ENDF) and the regional Tigray Security Forces (TSF) intensify on 26 January, close to the Amhara border. The TSF withdrew from the Tselemti area on 1 February, OHCHR said.

“Drones, artillery and other powerful weapons were used by both sides,” Mr. Türk said in a statement. “Civilians are once again caught between escalating tensions, with both TSF and ENDF reportedly carrying out arrests for perceived affiliation with the opposing side. This must stop,” he insisted.

Meanwhile, in Tigray’s south and southeast near the Afar border, clashes between the TSF and the “Tigray Peace Forces”, a rival faction, continue unabated, the High Commissioner noted.

“Both sides must step back from the brink and work to resolve their differences through political means,” he said. “Alleged serious violations or abuses must be promptly and independently investigated, irrespective of the perpetrators.”

Dire consequences

Briefing journalists in Geneva, the High Commissioner’s spokesperson, Ravina Shamdasani warned that new clashes could erupt “at any point” with dire consequences for civilians. She highlighted his call to all parties to recommit to the Pretoria Agreement calling for an end to hostilities, signed in 2022.

The hostile parties should also ensure the return of internally displaced people to their homes, among other confidence-building measures, Ms. Shamdasani continued.

“This is something that was part of the agreement, but it hasn't proceeded as smoothly as it should,” she noted.

The High Commissioner also warned that recent tensions between Ethiopia and neighbouring Eritrea risked worsening the already serious human rights and humanitarian challenges in both countries and across the wider Horn of Africa.

“There have been reports regarding the presence of Eritrean troops and heightened tensions between those two countries,” Ms. Shamdasani said, pointing to “disagreements…particularly regarding the situation in Tigray”.

She added: “We're calling for these disagreements to be resolved through political dialogue and not resort to violence. We all saw what happened in 2020, 2021, when there was a full-blown conflict in the Tigray region, which led to we still don't know how many deaths…We cannot afford a return to that.”