The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has urged Ethiopia and Eritrea to take immediate steps to de-escalate rising tensions, warning that renewed confrontation could plunge the Tigray region and the wider Horn of Africa into a deeper human rights and humanitarian crisis.

UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said in Geneva that recent clashes in northern Ethiopia, coupled with sharp rhetoric between Addis Ababa and Asmara, have created a highly volatile situation. Ethiopia has accused Eritrean forces of involvement in a massacre in Tigray and demanded their withdrawal from its territory, allegations Eritrea has previously rejected in similar contexts.

Fighting has flared between the Ethiopian National Defence Forces and the regional Tigray Security Forces, particularly around Tselemti and Laelay Tselemti near the Amhara border. According to the UN, both sides have deployed drones, artillery and other heavy weaponry, with reports of arrests and detentions carried out by each party during and after the clashes.

Civilians, already battered by years of conflict, are again trapped between rival forces. People have reportedly been detained on suspicion of sympathising with the opposing side, deepening fear and mistrust in communities that have yet to recover from the 2020–2022 war in Tigray. That earlier conflict killed an unknown number of people and displaced more than two million, with over a million still unable to return home.

In southern and south-eastern Tigray, near the Afar border, the Tigray Security Forces are also battling the so-called Tigray Peace Forces, a rival faction, further fragmenting the security landscape and complicating humanitarian access.

Shamdasani stressed that all parties must “step back from the brink” and commit to political dialogue and confidence-building measures rather than a return to full-scale war. She called for prompt, independent investigations into alleged violations and abuses, regardless of who is responsible.

Türk has also voiced concern that mounting friction between Ethiopia and Eritrea could spill across borders, aggravating instability in a region already grappling with displacement, food insecurity and fragile peace deals. The UN is appealing to both governments, and to influential regional and international actors, to use their leverage to calm the situation and prioritise the protection of civilians.