When a long-shadowed valley catches the first light of dawn, its contours — once hidden from view — slowly emerge into view. So too have the contours of memory and accountability arisen in recent days in Addis Ababa, as Ethiopia’s prime minister spoke in solemn tones before parliament about a conflict that has scarred his nation and the wider Horn of Africa. For the first time, he did not speak in the generalized language of war but named a former partner in the starkest of terms, describing actions in the Tigray region that have long weighed on collective conscience. This moments feels like sunlight touching places previously lost in shadow — a reminder that truth often unfolds in measured, reflective strides.
In an address marked by rare candor, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed acknowledged that forces from neighboring Eritrea, once allied with Addis Ababa during the intense two-year war in Tigray, were responsible for mass killings and widespread destruction in towns such as Axum, Adwa, Adigrat and Shire. It was the first time the prime minister has publicly attributed atrocities directly to Eritrean troops, breaking with earlier narratives that had avoided naming Eritrea’s role in the conflict that ended in 2022.
The Tigray war, which erupted in late 2020, left deep wounds across a region home to millions of people and echoed far beyond Ethiopia’s borders. Human rights groups and international monitors have long documented episodes of massacre, looting and forced displacement, with allegations of abuses involving multiple parties. Yet the prime minister’s direct reference to Eritrean forces represents a notable shift from years of official positions that either downplayed or sidestepped condemnation of external involvement.
As he spoke, Mr. Abiy invoked specific places where civilians had suffered, saying that troops had “massacred people” — words that reverberate in a country still reckoning with its recent past. In the historic city of Axum, long revered for its ancient heritage, civilians were among those killed during clashes that rights groups have previously linked to Eritrean soldiers acting alongside Ethiopian federal forces. Such accounts have been chronicled by independent researchers and echoed in reports by rights organizations documenting wartime abuses.
The prime minister also described the looting of factories, the destruction of pharmaceuticals and the dismantling of machinery in other towns — scenes familiar in regions wracked by brutal conflict, where civilian infrastructure often becomes collateral in broader strategic aims. These descriptions, though matter-of-fact in tone, draw sharp lines between the past hopes pinned on regional cooperation and the present realities of strained diplomatic ties.
Eritrea’s government swiftly rejected the allegations, dismissing them as unfounded and politically motivated. In recent months, ties between Addis Ababa and Asmara have frayed over issues ranging from access to the Red Sea to the implementation of peace accords and broader regional diplomacy. Once celebrated as architects of peace for ending a decades-long border stalemate — a feat that earned Mr. Abiy the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 — the two leaders now find themselves at odds, their earlier rapprochement giving way to pointed recrimination.
The conflict in Tigray claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced many more, exacting a toll that continues to shape national conversations on justice, reconciliation and historical narrative. Many observers have called for independent investigation and accountability for alleged war crimes committed by all sides, while humanitarian concerns persist for populations still recovering from disruption to livelihoods and access to basic services.
In speaking to lawmakers, Mr. Abiy also acknowledged that relationships with Eritrea had deteriorated for reasons that extend beyond historical grievances — including disagreements over strategic priorities and political positioning in a broader geopolitical landscape. The narrative of shared struggle that once bound the two capitals now seems fraught with unresolved tensions and competing interpretations of the past.
For many Ethiopians, the unfolding discourse is both a call to remember and an invitation to forge clearer principles of accountability. It is a moment of introspection — one that seeks not to inflame old wounds but to bring them into focus so they can be faced with honesty. As regional observers watch closely, the implications of these remarks extend beyond bilateral ties, touching on broader questions of justice, historical narrative, and the long path toward peace.
And as the sun continues its slow rise over the highlands and valleys of Ethiopia, those who lived through the war cast their own reflections on what the future may bring — a future shaped by both remembrance and the cautious hope that brighter days can follow even the darkest of nights.
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Sources Reuters, Associated Press (AP News), Africanews, BBC, Addis Standard.