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Ethiopian army says it is advancing in northern Tigray region
According to reports from northern Ethiopia, Mekele, the capital of the Tigray region, is being heavily bombarded by the government army.
The leader of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, Debarsion Gebremiel, told Reuters in a text message that the city was under “heavy bombardment.” He said that government forces had launched an operation to capture the provincial capital.
The Ethiopian army claimed that it had imposed its control over several cities in the northern region of Tigray. Lieutenant General Hassan Ibrahim said the army imposed its control over the city of “Wickro”, north of the regional capital, Mekele, in addition to many other cities.
There was no comment from the Ethiopian government on the latest developments, but it said on Friday that the “final phase” of its offensive in the region had begun.
The army has been in conflict with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front for weeks.
Hundreds died and thousands were forced to flee their homes as Ethiopian forces advanced and imposed their control over the cities of the region.
However, details of the ongoing fighting on the ground are difficult to confirm as all means of communication with Tigray, such as landlines, mobile phones and the Internet, have been cut.
What’s happening in the capital of the Tigray region?
The Ethiopian army previously said that it intended to impose its control over the city in a few days, but it would avoid harming the city’s 500,000 civilian population.
According to “Reuters”, “Pelin Seyoum”, the prime minister’s spokesman, said that Ethiopian forces will not “bomb” civilian areas.
“The safety of Ethiopians in Mekele and the Tigray region remains a priority for the federal government,” Seyoum added.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said in a meeting Friday with African peace envoys that civilians in the region will be protected.
But possible talks to end the fighting were not mentioned and the envoys were not allowed to visit Tigray.
For its part, the TPLF, which controls Mikkeli, has pledged to continue the fight.
The United Nations warned of possible war crimes if the Ethiopian army attacked the town of Mikkeli.
A photo taken Thursday in Mikkeli, the capital of the Tigray region.
The United Nations also expressed concern that humanitarian aid workers could not enter the area.
However, Ethiopian authorities said last Thursday that a “path for humanitarian aid in” will be opened under government supervision, adding that it is “committed to working with United Nations agencies … to protect civilians. and those in need of protection. ”
More than 40,000 people have fled Ethiopia since the conflict began.
According to the refugees, Ethiopian forces were deployed along the Tigray region’s border with Sudan on Thursday, where they prevented people fleeing the violence from leaving the country.
The BBC delegate on the Sudanese side of the border says she saw at least 12 members of the Ethiopian military, causing a significant decrease in the number of people crossing the border into Sudan.
Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, said during a visit to Sudan’s “Umm Rakuba” camp for refugees fleeing combat areas in Tigray that Sudan needs $ 150 million in aid to absorb the influx of refugees on their lands.
“Sudan needs $ 150 million in six months to provide water, shelter and health services to these refugees,” Grandi said.
Who are the fighters of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front?
The TPLF fighters, who come from a paramilitary unit and a well-trained local militia, are believed to number approximately 250,000. Some analysts fear that the situation will turn into a guerilla war, and that the TPLF will continue to launch attacks against government forces even if they control Mikeli.
The leader of the front, Debarsion, Gebremikail, had said that the Tigrayans were “ready to die in defense of our right to administer our region.”
“Reuters” quoted a diplomatic source as saying that the TPLF “has concentrated many people in Mikkeli. They are digging trenches and each one of them is armed with an AK-47 rifle.”
Aid organizations fear that the ongoing conflict in the region will cause a humanitarian crisis and destabilize the entire Horn of Africa region.
Ethiopia’s state-appointed human rights commission accused a youth organization in Tigray of being behind a massacre earlier this month in which more than 600 non-Tigray civilians were killed in the city of Mai-Kadra. . The TPLF denied its involvement in the incident.
