Ahead of the two-year anniversary of the end of the Tigray war, Gebreselassie Kahsay, a lecturer at Mekele University in Tigray's capital, reflected on the fragile peace in Ethiopia's northernmost region.

"Some say the Pretoria agreement stopped the gunfire, but the genocide hasn't ended. Genocide is still being committed against Tegaru [Tigrayans]," he said.

The brutal two-year conflict saw Ethiopian government forces, allied regional militias and troops from neighboring Eritrea clash with Tigrayan rebels, resulting in an estimated 600,000 deaths and reports of widespread atrocities against civilians committed by the warring sides.

In November 2022, the African Union mediated peace talks in Pretoria, South Africa, leading to an agreement for a "permanent cessation of hostilities" between Tigrayan regional forces and the Ethiopian government. At the time, the AU's Horn of Africa envoy, Olusegun Obasanjo, said the fighting parties had also agreed to "systematic, orderly, smooth and coordinated disarmament."

For many in Tigray, the violence and suffering continue despite the peace deal.

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Kahsay told DW that the peace accord has not been fully implemented, but "rather it is a failure" because it did not restore Tigray territories.

"Because of this, the inhabitants or internally displaced people of western Tigray, Gulomekeda and Irob are not returning home. Although........

© Deutsche Welle