Displaced Families in Tigray Shelter in Former School as Fighting Revives Old Fears
Families displaced from Western Tigray are sheltering in a former high school in Abi Adi, a town in Tigray, Ethiopia, according to Al Jazeera.
The shelter sits in a region still living with the aftermath of a long conflict. Ethiopia's federal government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the Tigrayan group that fought the federal side, signed the Pretoria agreement in November 2022 to end their war. That war, fought from 2020 to 2022, left an estimated 500,000 people dead from violence, famine and the collapse of healthcare, and displaced millions.
Western Tigray has been a particular point of dispute. Amhara forces took control of the area during the war, and it remains disputed.
Fighting flared again in September. On September 22, 2026, violence in Tigray escalated to its most serious level since the 2020–2022 war. The next day, TPLF forces launched an offensive and seized Mekelle's airport. On October 4, federal forces and allied fighters retook Mekelle as Tigrayan fighters withdrew.
The federal government then set up a six-month caretaker administration, an interim body meant to run the region until elected leaders take office. Its stated tasks are to govern Tigray, restore public services and prepare the region for elections.
Concern about the wider impact has also come from outside Ethiopia. In an October 8 letter, published on October 9, Human Rights Watch and other organisations warned the UN Human Rights Council that renewed hostilities threatened to undo the Pretoria agreement. The letter cited reports of drone strikes, mortar fire and artillery attacks, including attacks in populated areas and near camps for internally displaced people.
