[ad_1]
Hospitals in the capital of Ethiopia’s Tigray region faced an influx of trauma patients, an aid group said on Sunday, a day after federal troops claimed control of the city and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said the fighting was over.
Abiy, last year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, declared victory Saturday night in a three-week military showdown with the leaders of Tigray’s ruling Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) party.
But a communications blackout in Tigray has made it impossible to independently verify whether the regional capital, Mekele, is completely under the control of the federal government.
It has also thwarted efforts to get a full picture of the fierce fighting in Tigray that has left thousands dead and sent tens of thousands of refugees across the border into Sudan.
On Sunday, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said health workers in Mekele were struggling with shortages of food and medical supplies, including body bags.
At the Ayder Reference Hospital, one of the largest in the city, the ICRC said it “found that approximately 80 per cent of the patients suffered trauma,” without specifying how the injuries were sustained.
“The influx of wounded forced the hospital to suspend many other medical services so that limited staff and resources could be dedicated to emergency medical care,” the ICRC said in a statement.
He also noted that Mekele was “quiet” on Sunday, the latest indication that the TPLF chose to withdraw rather than confront government troops in a city that, before the conflict, had a population of half a million.
Abiy announced on November 4 that he would send federal troops to Tigray in response to attacks by pro-TPLF forces on federal army camps.
The move marked a dramatic escalation in tensions between Abiy and the TPLF, which dominated Ethiopian politics for nearly three decades before anti-government protests brought Abiy to power in 2018.
After securing control of western Tigray and giving TPLF leaders a 72-hour ultimatum to surrender, Abiy announced on Thursday that he had ordered a “final offensive” against pro-TPLF forces in Mekele.
– Fears of insurgency tactics –
Global concern had risen over a possible bloodbath, and heavy shelling was reported in Mekele on Saturday.
But, according to the government, few fighting actually took place.
Little news leaked from Mekele on Sunday, even through official channels.
A military spokesman, General Mohamed Tessema, told AFP that the operations were progressing “very well” and that the soldiers “were doing their job peacefully”, but said he could not provide details.
Elsewhere in Tigray, state television reported on Sunday that graves containing more than 70 bodies had been discovered in the city of Humera, citing witnesses who claimed the victims were killed by pro-TPLF fighters.
Tigray regional television, for its part, claimed that pro-TPLF forces had recaptured the cities of Axum and Mai-Tsebri from federal forces and also shot down a government fighter plane.
None of the reports could be independently corroborated.
The TPLF has vowed to keep fighting as long as pro-Abiy forces have some sort of presence in Tigray, and analysts have warned that it could shift gears to adopt insurgent-style tactics.
A senior commander in Tigray operations, Lt. Gen. Bacha Debele, told state-affiliated media on Sunday that the army was “ready to prevent any possible suicide attack by the TPLF junta in the future.”
Abiy had said that the police were working to arrest the party leaders, who could not be located on Sunday as their whereabouts are unknown.
Since Abiy took office, TPLF leaders have complained that they have been marginalized from the highest ranks, subjected to corruption trials and generally scapegoats for the country’s troubles.
– Rockets reach Eritrea –
Hours after Abiy announced that Mekele had fallen into the hands of federal forces, rockets were fired from Tigray at Asmara, the capital of neighboring Eritrea, two diplomats told AFP.
The rockets appeared to be aimed at the Asmara airport and military installations, although it was unclear where they landed and what damage they may have caused.
The US embassy in Asmara reported that “six explosions” had occurred in the city “around 10:13 pm” on Saturday.
It was the third time Asmara has been attacked by Tigray during the conflict.
The TPLF has claimed responsibility for only the first attack two weeks ago.
He said Asmara was a legitimate target because Ethiopia was obtaining Eritrean military support for its campaign in Tigray, which Ethiopia denies.
Abiy says his government is now focused on rebuilding Tigray and providing humanitarian assistance to a population of six million.
Displacement is believed to be widespread in the region, which has suffered multiple rounds of airstrikes and at least one massacre that killed hundreds of civilians.
The United Nations has spent weeks pushing, so far without success, for full access.
by Robbie COREY-BOULET
