ADDIS ABABA, April 20, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) announced the restoration of a regional parliament, the election of which was one of the triggers for the Tigray war, alarming observers fearing a resumption of the deadly conflict between the Ethiopian government and regional forces.

The Tigray war claimed at least 600,000 lives between 2020-2022 and pitted federal forces, supported by local militias and the Eritrean army, against TPLF rebels.

Since then, Tigray has been governed under the Pretoria Peace Agreement with Addis Ababa in April extending their appointment's mandate for another year, despite TPLF criticism.

While regionally still powerful, the TPLF -- which effectively ruled Ethiopia for three decades -- is no longer a legally registered party, following the rise of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

In a statement issued late Sunday, the TPLF said its central committee "has decided to reinstate the Tigray Government Assembly (Parliament), which had been suspended in the name of peace".

"This assembly embodies the sovereign authority of our people and their determined will, and was elected by some 2.8 million people," the statement said.

That 2020 election was not recognised by federal authorities, and was one of the triggers for the deadly Tigray war.

Ethiopian officials did not respond to AFP's queries over the TPLF move.

"It looks gloomy in relation to peaceful resolution of this," a regional expert, who requested anonymity, told AFP, adding he believed it amounted to a "dissolution of the interim administration".

"This decision has been taken because the federal government is violating the Pretoria Agreement, we were not consulted," a senior TPLF official, who also requested anonymity, told AFP.

The TPLF statement also noted, "our people must strengthen their friendly relations with the people of neighbouring regions".

"We want to talk to everyone, to the Amharas, to the Afar, to the Sudanese, to the Eritreans," the senior TPLF official emphasised.

The federal authorities have accused the TPLF of growing closer to neighbouring Eritrea, which has hostile relations with Addis Ababa. The group has denied this.

Meanwhile, Eritrea accuses its landlocked neighbour of eyeing its port of Assab.

The two countries fought a deadly war from May 1998 to June 2000 for control of several border towns.

It follows federal troops massing on the Tigray border in February, with an anonymous security source telling AFP a large part had now withdrawn -- although Tigrayan forces "are still largely deployed on their borders".