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The fighting in Tigray forced civilians to flee across the border into Sudan.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees warned that thousands of civilians continue to flee across the border into Sudan, fleeing the ongoing unrest in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia.
The representative of the High Commissioner for Refugees in Sudan, Axel Biscup, told the BBC that most of the fleeing families left on foot, because their stay in their country has become very dangerous.
Sudan says some 36,000 people have fled across the border from Tigray, amid ongoing fighting there.
Ethiopia denies targeting civilians as it continues its campaign against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.
Central government forces say they continue to advance towards the provincial capital, Mekele, although it is difficult to verify the information due to communication cuts.
Meanwhile, the Ethiopian government has issued arrest warrants for 76 servicemen accused of having ties to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.
Forces loyal to the Tigray Liberation Front are fighting Ethiopian government forces in this troubled region.
A humanitarian crisis “broad range “
Hundreds of people have died and tens of thousands have fled the area after two weeks of fighting.
The United Nations warned of a “large-scale humanitarian crisis”, in the context of the crisis in the Tigray region.
“There may be a mass exodus within Tigray, and this of course is cause for concern and we are trying to prepare in the best possible way,” said Jens Larket, spokesman for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). United Nations.
The United Nations fears that the number of people fleeing Ethiopia is only a fraction of those who were forced from their homes by the fighting, but aid agencies are currently unable to reach the Tigray region.
Kenya and Uganda called for negotiations to find a peaceful solution to the conflict, but the Ethiopian government ruled out talks with the Tigrayan Liberation Front.
The conflict stems from a long-standing tension between the powerful regional party, the Tigrayan Liberation Front, and the central government of Ethiopia.
When Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed postponed the national elections in June due to the Corona virus, tension increased between the two sides. The TPLF considers that the central government is illegitimate and that Abiy Ahmed no longer has the mandate to lead the country.
The government accused the PFLP of attacking a military base to steal weapons, which the Front denied. In response, Abiy Ahmed ordered a military strike, accusing the TPLF of treason.
What is the latest development?
On Wednesday, the Federal Police issued arrest warrants for 76 servicemen, some of whom are reportedly retired. French news agency AFP quoted Ethiopian sources as saying that these officers are accused of “conspiracy” with the Popular Front for the Liberation of the Tigrayans and “treason.”
In an interview with the BBC, Beilin Seyoum, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, denied reports that members of Tigrayans in other parts of the country were arrested for their ethnicity, but acknowledged that many were arrested for belonging to what she described. as “criminal networks”. .
This news came after government forces seized control of the cities of Shire and Aksum, after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s three-day deadline for the Tigrayans to surrender expired, and ended on Tuesday.
The leader of the Tigray Liberation Front, Debrecion Gebremichael, born in the city of Shire, admitted to a local television station that his soldiers had lost control of the two cities, located to the south and west of the Tigray region, but he described the victory of the Ethiopian forces as temporary and vowed to defeat Abe’s forces.
Five facts about Tigray
- The kingdom of Aksum focused on the region. Described as one of the greatest civilizations in the ancient world, it was once the most powerful country between the Roman and Persian empires.
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Aksum is believed to be the home of the Queen of Sheba, who is mentioned in the Bible and the Koran.
- The ruins of Axum are a United Nations World Heritage Site. The site dates from between the 1st and 13th centuries AD and includes obelisks, castles, royal tombs, and a church that some believe includes the Ark of the Covenant.
- Most of the inhabitants of the Tigray region are Ethiopian Orthodox Christians. Christianity has roots in the region dating back 1,600 years.
- The main language of the region is Tigrinya, a Semitic dialect spoken by at least seven million people around the world.
- Sesame is an important cash crop in the region, as it is exported to the United States, China, and other countries.
