Relative calm returns to Ethiopia-Sudan border after ENDF, TPLF clashes
August 6, 2026 (SHIRINA, Ethiopia) – The border regions between Ethiopia and Sudan were relatively calm on Thursday following clashes between the Ethiopian army and Tigrayan forces that have renewed fears over the stability of the 2022 Pretoria peace agreement.
Local sources told Sudan Tribune that military operations along the border strip had temporarily halted following battles that broke out on Saturday in Ethiopia’s Shererina region, near Sudan’s Greater Al-Fashaga area. The clashes involved heavy artillery and drone strikes.
The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) accused the Ethiopian federal government of escalating military tensions. Addis Ababa has not issued an official statement on the recent developments.
The escalation raises concerns of renewed conflict in northern Ethiopia, nearly four years after war in the Tigray region that the African Union estimated killed at least 600,000 people.
An Ethiopian official blamed the TPLF for starting the clashes, saying the group initiated an attack on Ethiopian troops near the tri-border area connecting Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Sudan.
The official, quoted by local media, said the TPLF was planning a military operation as part of a “tripartite alliance” with Fano militia and the Oromo Liberation Army, alongside external actors, describing it as a proxy war intended to drag Ethiopia into a wider regional conflict.
Tensions span the border triangle between Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Sudan, stretching from Om Hajer in Eritrea through Humera in Ethiopia to Hamdayet and Allaqdi in Sudan.
Ethiopian news agencies reported on Tuesday that 15 bodies of Tigrayan fighters were recovered from the Setit River in Sudan, while a hospital in the eastern Sudanese town of Wad Al-Hilio treated six people wounded in the clashes.
Tigray TV broadcast footage showing a meeting between Eritrean army generals and TPLF officials in Tigray, with Eritrean, Tigrayan, and TPLF flags displayed.
The meeting was framed as “military coordination between Eritrea and Tigray,” coinciding with reports of renewed fighting between the Ethiopian army and Tigrayan forces since Aug. 1.
There was no immediate official comment on the meeting from the Ethiopian government, Eritrean government, or the TPLF.
The developments come amid debate over the “Tsimdo” initiative, launched in May 2025 to promote dialogue between border communities in Eritrea and Tigray. The Ethiopian government previously criticized the initiative, saying it strengthened ties between Asmara and the TPLF at the expense of the federal government.
Observers warn new fighting in Tigray could undermine the 2022 peace deal and destabilize the broader Horn of Africa.