After weeks of speculation about the  fast-eroding ties between the federal government of Ethiopia and Tigray regional authorities, the nightmare scenario that many analysts and regional watchers had been warning about finally materialised when the Ethiopian Prime Minister – a Noble Peace laureate – declared war on the Tigray region on November 4. Although the so-called ‘internal law enforcement operation’ has now come to an end, the top leadership of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) is still at large, and thus the likelihood of a prolonged conflict remains a strong possibility. This is so because Addis Ababa has set their arrest as its ultimate objective while the TPLF leadership has vowed to resist.