Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed appears unwilling to abandon his offensive against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) without fully exhausting a military response. As the conflict enters its third week with no end in sight, the offensive risks both damaging Ethiopia’s attractiveness as an investment destination and escalating into a significant regional conflict. A protracted and deadly conflict with human rights violations risks undermining Abiy’s reputation as a liberal-minded and reform-oriented leader following his historic peace agreement with neighboring Eritrea in September 2018, which has since boosted Ethiopia’s attractiveness to foreign investors. After rejecting mediation efforts, Abiy announced Nov. 17 that the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) would launch a “final and crucial” offensive against the TPLF. Abiy’s announcement comes two days after the military claimed that it had taken control of Alamata, a town in southeastern Tigray on the main highway to Mekelle, the regional capital.