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Deputy Army Chief Berhanu Jula will assume control of the Ethiopian National Defense Force, a statement from Abiy’s office said, without giving a reason or specifying the fate of Berhanu’s predecessor, General Adem Mohammed.
This still-frame capture from video obtained from the Ethiopian public broadcaster (EBC) on November 4, 2020, shows Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed explaining his military response to a deadly attack by the ruling party in Tigray, a region trapped in a long-running dispute with Addis Ababa, in a camp that houses federal troops. Image: AFP
SANJA – Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed replaced his army chief on Sunday, as reports of wounded soldiers continued to rise in a five-day conflict in the northern Tigray region.
Deputy Army Chief Berhanu Jula will assume control of the Ethiopian National Defense Force, according to a statement from Abiy’s office, without giving a reason or specifying the fate of Berhanu’s predecessor, General Adem Mohammed.
The announcement came when a medical official told AFP that about 100 government soldiers had been treated for gunshot wounds at a hospital in the northern Amhara region, the latest indication that the fighting has been intense.
Abiy and military leaders have touted the successes of Ethiopian soldiers against forces loyal to the ruling Tigray party, but a communications blackout in the region has made it difficult to verify their accounts.
On roads in the northern part of Ethiopia’s Amhara region, ambulances can often be seen transporting wounded fighters to hospitals.
In the city of Sanja, 98 government soldiers have been treated for “gunshot” wounds, a doctor told AFP.
“We have had 98 cases. All are soldiers of the National Army,” said the doctor, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
He said there were no fatalities at the hospital, but noted that the most serious cases have been transferred to larger hospitals in the city of Gondar and elsewhere.
Reports of soldiers killed and injured have risen in recent days in Amhara, where a humanitarian aid worker said three were killed and 35 were treated on Saturday. On Friday, 105 injured and five dead were reported in the region.
They coincide with mounting fears of civil war after Abiy, last year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, dispatched federal troops and planes to Tigray on Wednesday in a major escalation of a long-running dispute.
Sunday’s shakeup also saw new appointments for the deputy army chief, the foreign minister and the federal police commissioner, while the President of Amhara was transferred to the head of Ethiopia’s intelligence service.
No reason was given for those changes either.
AIR STRIKES
Abiy ordered airstrikes against military assets in the Tigrayan regional capital Mekele last week, warning that more would be on the way and urging civilians to avoid meetings to limit “collateral damage.”
A UN advisory distributed Sunday morning reported an “ongoing airstrike in Mekele” near the airport, with an update specifying that “only one attack and related ripost were heard. [sic] from the ground.”
Hours before he was appointed the new army chief, a state media report quoted Berhanu as saying that federal forces had “completely destroyed the heavy weapons of the treacherous clique,” a reference to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). , the regional ruling party.
Berhanu also said that federal forces had “completely captured” four towns in western Tigray, where much of the fighting was reportedly concentrated.
But a UN source told AFP on Saturday that an internal security report said Tigrayan forces were occupying the Ethiopian Northern Command headquarters in Mekele.
The key base is one of the most armored in the country, a legacy of Ethiopia’s war with neighboring Eritrea, which borders the Tigray region.
HUMANITARIAN CONCERNS
A UN report dated Saturday called on “all parties to the conflict, at all levels, to grant uninterrupted humanitarian access to [the] affected population “in Tigray, warning that conflict-related disruptions were” contributing to the worsening humanitarian context. “
He noted that the region is home to 100,000 displaced Ethiopians, nearly 100,000 refugees and “approximately 600,000 people who depend on food assistance.”
In total, nearly nine million people near Tigray’s borders are “at high risk due to this conflict,” the report said, increasing the possibility of “massive displacement in and out of Ethiopia.”
Lawmakers voted Saturday to suspend current Tigray leaders and install an interim administration.
In the capital Addis Ababa, the mayor announced on Sunday that 10 TPLF members who were top city officials had been arrested, accusing them of “betraying the people” and working “to destabilize the peace in our city and engage in cruel acts. and terrorists. motives “.
The mayor, Adenech Abebe, said city officials were also investigating “other leads,” praising city residents for being “our eyes and ears.”
However, in a Twitter post on Sunday, Abiy called on Ethiopians to avoid discriminating against the Tigrayans, who make up about six percent of the country’s 110 million people.
“I would like to reiterate that no brother or sister of Tigrayan should be the victim of illegal acts based on identity, and this responsibility falls on all Ethiopians,” said Abiy.
The TPLF dominated politics in Ethiopia for nearly three decades before Abiy came to power in 2018 following anti-government protests.
Under Abiy, Tigray leaders have complained of being unjustly targeted in corruption trials, removed from the highest positions and generally scapegoats for the country’s troubles.
The long-running dispute grew more intense after Tigray held its own elections in September, challenging the Abiy government, which had decided to postpone national elections due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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