Fears Mount That Renewed Fighting in Ethiopia Will Trigger Wider Regional Conflict

Within days of renewed confrontations between the Ethiopian military and an alliance of armed groups, fears are growing that the conflict is spreading across the region. The government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has accused Eritrea, Sudan, and Egypt of backing the opposition coalition. Khartoum and Cairo have denied involvement, and after reciprocal diplomatic moves, Asmara and Addis Ababa have severed ties.

This escalation reflects decades of mutual distrust between Ethiopia and the three countries, following the collapse of an agreement that ended the last war between Abiy's government and Tigrayan forces nearly four years ago. To examine what this means for the region, presenter Sami Zeidan speaks with guests Magnus Taylor, Deputy Director of the Horn of Africa Project at the International Crisis Group; Jervin Naidoo, senior political analyst at Oxford Economics Africa; and Ahmed Soliman, senior research fellow in the Africa Programme at Chatham House.