Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was re-elected on Monday for a new five-year term by the House of Representatives. This followed general elections in June, in which the Prosperity Party (PP), his political party, secured 438 seats, giving it the majority needed to form the government and re-elect its leader as head of the executive. The new Ethiopian legislature held its first session in Addis Ababa, where deputies officially appointed Abiy Ahmed as Prime Minister. His appointment was approved unanimously by the deputies before he took an oath for a new five-year term. The re-election of Abiy Ahmed comes amid renewed fighting in the north of the country between federal forces and the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (TPLF). Hostilities have resumed in the Tigré region at the end of September, raising fears of a new escalation after the war of 2020-2022. Federal forces have regained control of Mekele, the regional capital of Tigré, after the withdrawal of TPLF-linked forces. However, this military advance has not ended the conflict, with aerial strikes and artillery fire still reported in several areas of the region, along with civilian casualties according to humanitarian sources. The conflict is not limited to the face-off between Addis Ababa and the TPLF. Relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea have also deteriorated sharply in recent weeks. Addis Ababa accuses Asmara of supporting forces opposed to the federal government, a claim Eritrea disputes. Ethiopia has closed its embassy in Asmara and expelled several Eritrean diplomats. In response, Eritrea announced the rupture of its diplomatic relations with its neighbor. The African Union has called on the different parties to exercise restraint and dialogue, as the resumption of fighting raises fears of a wider escalation in the Horn of Africa. In his first statement after being reappointed as Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed promised to equip the Ethiopian army with an unprecedented aerial power in the region. He stated, "In our region, we will have air superiority. Our defense will be modern, innovative, and always ready and on alert for combat. Our army will conduct preventive and reactive actions. It will show bravery, following the example of its ancestors." He also urged those fighting in the bush to choose the path of peace and participate in the building of the nation and the national reconciliation process. The conflict in Tigré between 2020 and 2022 had caused at least 600,000 deaths according to official figures. The resumption of fighting occurs at a time when several provisions of the peace agreement concluded in 2022 have not been fully implemented. Tensions beyond Tigré have also been reported, with clashes taking place in the Tigré, Afar, and Amhara regions since September 23, after months of rising tensions. The Ethiopian army has taken Mekele, the capital of Tigré, without combat, with the support of the Tigray Peace Force, a faction that split from the Tigray People's Liberation Front.