Updated

Ethiopia's military reported repelling attacks and inflicting casualties in its first public comment on renewed fighting, amid growing fears of a resumption of full-blown civil war tied to the Tigray conflict. The escalating tensions and military engagements raise concerns that the fragile post-war stability could unravel. Contributing to these fears is a troubling pattern: young men are fleeing Tigray in significant numbers out of fear of forced military recruitment, suggesting that authorities or armed groups may be coercing civilians into armed service as tensions mount and conflict preparedness intensifies.