Pope Leo XIV Calls for Dialogue as Fighting Escalates in Ethiopia
Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday appealed to all parties involved in the renewed conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region and neighbouring Afar and Amhara regions to embrace dialogue and end hostilities.
The Pope made the appeal at the end of his General Audience, expressing concern over the renewed fighting and calling on the international community to provide “generous and timely” humanitarian assistance to affected communities.
“I make a heartfelt appeal to all parties to choose the path of dialogue. Armed conflict never resolves problems; it only makes them worse, leaving behind a trail of death, destruction and resentment,” he said.
Fighting between Ethiopian federal forces and fighters affiliated with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) intensified last week, threatening the 2022 Pretoria Peace Agreement that ended the previous two-year conflict.
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The renewed clashes have spread across several fronts in Tigray, Afar and Amhara, with government forces reportedly advancing northwards towards Tigray’s regional capital, Mekelle.
Pro-government forces said they captured the strategic town of Alamata in southern Tigray on Monday, a claim also supported by diplomatic sources cited.
Residents and health workers have also reported heavy shelling in Maychew, further north.
A senior health worker at Aydar Referral Hospital in Mekelle said the facility received 44 critically injured civilians, including 33 children, following shelling in Maychew and Alamata between Saturday and Monday.
The health worker said some of the victims suffered severe injuries and that at least four people died while being transported to the hospital.
The conflict follows the 2022 Pretoria Peace Agreement between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and the TPLF, which ended the 2020–2022 war in Tigray.
However, key provisions of the agreement remained unresolved, while tensions intensified from late 2025 as federal authorities carried out drone strikes in Tigray and deployed troops near the region.
The TPLF, which remains the dominant political force in Tigray, subsequently removed a government-appointed regional administration, further worsening tensions.
Pope Leo urged all sides to pursue a peaceful resolution, saying only a sincere commitment to dialogue could lay the foundation for lasting peace.
