Authorities in Ethiopia’s Tigray region have accused the federal government of launching a military offensive on Saturday, reigniting fears of a return to full-scale war.

In a statement, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) said federal forces used heavy artillery against their positions in Western Tigray, near the border with Sudan.

The TPLF said that after months of using blockades, sieges, drone strikes and proxy forces against Tigray, the government had now launched ‘open war.’

Federal authorities have not commented on the allegations, according to africanews.com.

Tensions between Tigray and Addis Ababa have been worsening since the 2022 Pretoria Agreement that ended a bloody two-year war between the two sides.

The TPLF called on the international community to intervene, warning of wider consequences if the war expands.

It also urged Tigray residents, security forces, civil society groups, and religious institutions to prepare for what it described as a struggle for ‘national survival.’