Addis Abeba--Withdrawal or reduced presence of federal forces in recent days is raising concerns among local communities. Residents in different parts of the country spoke to Addis Standard on their concern following federal forces evacuating their village while fueling speculation that troops are being redeployed northward amid rising tensions involving Tigray.
Residents in Dirashe district, Gardulla Zone, South Ethiopia Region, and Anfilo districts in Kellem Wollega Zone, Oromia Region, told Addis Standard that Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) have been vacating certain areas, creating security gaps and fueling local tensions. An AFP report confirmed troop movements and heightened military presence near the Tigray border.
Residents in parts of Dirashe district, Gardulla Zone, Southern Ethiopia, told Addis Standard that federal forces who had been stationed there withdrew recently, after which localized conflicts resumed between rival groups.
"Yes, there were defense forces. Now that they've left, it has flared up again," the resident said, requesting anonymity for security reasons. "As long as they are there, there is peace. When they leave, there is a clash."
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The resident attributed recurring instability to unresolved structural questions dating back to the dissolution of the former Segen Zone in 2017, which previously encompassed Gardulla, Konso, Burji, and Amaro. Since then, he said, disputes between neighboring communities, including Konso and Dirashe, as well as Dirashe and Gumaide, have intensified.
"It seems it will remain this way until the structural question is addressed," he said, adding that peace in the area has largely depended on the presence of federal forces.
Similar concerns have emerged from the Oromia Region. Resident Anfilo district in the Kellem Wollega Zone told Addis Standard said he is worried about what he described as a campaign targeting youths and forcibly sending them to the army. The resident, also claimed that the ENDF units have been moving toward the Gambella region with heavy weaponry, heightening fears about security in the area.
The rising anxiety over military withdrawal has, in some areas, escalated into deadly violence. At least 16 people were killed and several others injured in clashes in two districts of the Gamo Zone, local residents and members of the Federal Parliament told Addis Standard. The clashes erupted amid disputes over administrative boundaries and long-standing inter-communal tensions, officials said, with local security vacuums emerging as federal troops were no longer visibly present to mediate or deter violence.
These developments come against a backdrop of fresh indications of troop concentrations towards the Tigray Region. Agence France-Presse (AFP) cited a Western diplomatic source reporting that ENDF units and Tigrayan forces were massing along the border of the Tigray Region, raising fears of renewed confrontation.
"The ENDF is encircling Tigray," the source told AFP, while a local Tigrayan source described the situation as a "massive mobilization" on both sides. "Such large numbers of troops positioning themselves face to face is not a good sign." Another source, also speaking on condition of anonymity, described it as "a massive mobilization of federal forces and Tigrayan forces."
"If the international community does not exert pressure on the parties to the conflict toresolve their dispute through dialogue, the risk of war increases," the Tigrayan source added.
In Kobo town in North Wollo, Amhara Region, residents reported escalating tensions and the arrival of federal and regional forces. Residents told Addis Standard ENDF troops have recently entered the town from the Afar side, while "Amhara Regional Forces were also seen in Kobo a day earlier." Civilians were said to be withdrawing cash and stocking up on food items amid growing anxiety.
In its statement last week, the National Movement of Amhara (NaMA) said that "the current situation in the region and the existing conditions of some of the areas, the lack of deployment of security forces, and the lack of law enforcement activities" have created environments where civilians are "paying a high price," describing such areas as breeding grounds for "conflict brokers and double-edged sword cadres."
The party urged both the federal and Amhara regional governments to pay special attention to what it described as security vacuums and governance failures.
The developments follow a statement issued last week by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which warned of what it described as "preparations for renewed military aggression" and accused the federal government of "mobilizing forces toward Tigray." Federal authorities have not publicly confirmed any such redeployment.
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These developments came when the relationship between Ethiopia and Eritrea deteriorated. In the letter dated 07 February, 2026 Gedion Timotheos, Ethiopia's Foreign Affairs Minister, urged his Eritrean counterpart, Osman Saleh Mohammed, to immediately withdraw Eritrean forces, accusing the neighboring country of violating Ethiopia's sovereignty and carrying out military operations in collaboration with rebel groups.
Responding the letter, Eritrea dismissed the allegations, characterizing Ethiopia's claims that Eritrean troops were operating inside its territory as "false and fabricated."
While the federal government has not announced a nationwide repositioning of troops, residents in the affected areas fear that security vacuums created by the departure of federal forces could exacerbate local conflicts.
Efforts to reach the Ethiopian National Defense Forces spokesperson were unsuccessful at the time of publication.
