Fears of renewed war in northern Ethiopia are growing after the federal government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) accused each other of launching military offensives. Federal minister Getachew Reda said Tigrayan forces had seized federally administered airports and attacked positions in neighbouring Afar and Amhara, while the TPLF said it had been forced into a defensive war following reported drone strikes. Tigrayan officials said strikes on Alamata had killed at least 14 civilians and injured 22, although these claims have not been independently verified. The African Union has called for immediate de-escalation and renewed negotiations. These developments threaten the 2022 Pretoria agreement which ended two years of devastating conflict. It was one of the most deadly conflicts this century: one estimate is that some 600,000 people died as the fighting drove the region to the precipice of famine. Recently, both sides have increasingly accused each other of violating the peace agreement and failing to implement important provisions.