Insecurity in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region has noticeably increased in the last few days.

Many Tigrayans told DW they are afraid that recent political tensions within the once-dominant Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) could lead to renewed violence — more than two years after one of Ethiopia's deadliest conflicts claimed nearly 600,000 lives.

Amid soaring prices, some Tigray locals have stormed banks to withdraw money to buy and hoard food and other essential goods.

Many gas stations have run out of fuel. Gasoline is now being sold at exorbitant prices on the black market, with a liter costing up to 300 birr (€2.26/$2.36) — a 200% price hike.

Costs for the transport of consumer goods and public transportation have also risen dramatically.

"There's great fear here in Tigray," Meresa Giday, a resident of the provincial capital, Mekele, told DW correspondent Million Haileselassie.

People in Tigray are still deeply traumatized by the last war.

"That's why panic is rising here now!" Giday said.

"After the recent developments, there is indeed great panic here. The political conflicts here are not helping us, they are putting us all at risk," said another resident, who wanted to remain anonymous.

Internal divisions are not new for the TPLF, a former Marxist-Leninist liberation movement that has evolved from a guerrilla movement into a political party over the course of nearly 50 years.

However, observers say the radicalism with which two rival factions are currently confronting each other is a novel development.

On one side is the TPLF party leadership led by Gebremichael Debretsion. On the other is the transitional administration, the Tigray Interim Regional Administration (TIRA), headed by its president Getachew Reda.

Although Getachew still officially considers himself part of the TPLF, he has fallen out of favor with the party leadership. Each side considers the other to be illegal — and an enemy.

Now, even the existence of........

© Deutsche Welle