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Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government has been trying to quell a rebellion by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), a powerful ethnically-based party that dominated the central government from 1991 until Abiy came to power in 2018.
He said Saturday night that federal troops had taken control of Mekelle, the capital of Tigrayan, within hours of launching an offensive there, ending fears of a prolonged fighting in the city of 500,000 people.
The prime minister, who refers to the three-week conflict as an internal public order matter and has rejected international offers of mediation, said federal police will try to arrest the TPLF “criminals” and bring them to court.
However, TPLF leader Debretsion Gebremichael told Reuters in a text message late Saturday that TPLF forces would continue to fight, increasing the possibility of the conflict dragging on.
Thousands of people are believed to have died and nearly 44,000 have fled to Sudan since the fighting began on November 4. The conflict has been another test for Abiy, who took office two years ago and is trying to hold together a mosaic of ethnicities. groups that make up the 115 million people of Ethiopia.
The influx of refugees and the TPLF attacks in neighboring Eritrea have also threatened to destabilize the wider Horn of Africa region.
Claims from all sides are difficult to verify as telephone and internet links to Tigray have been down and access is strictly controlled since the fighting began.
Police issued arrest warrants late on Saturday for 17 other military officers charged with conflict-related crimes including treason and embezzlement of public property, state affiliate Fana TV reported. They are in addition to 117 arrest warrants issued for high-ranking military officers who are said to be connected to the TPLF since the conflict broke out.
It was unclear if any TPLF leaders had surrendered, their whereabouts or their next plans.
“Their brutality can only add (to) our determination to fight these invaders to the end,” TPLF’s Debretsion told Reuters in a text message on Saturday.
When asked by Reuters if that meant his forces would continue to fight, he replied: “Certainly. It is about defending our right to self-determination ”.
Debretsion said in another text message that Tigrayan forces were withdrawing from the surroundings of Mekelle.
HISTORY OF RESISTANCE
Diplomats and regional experts have warned that a quick military victory may not signal the end of the conflict.
The TPLF has a history of guerrilla resistance. The mountainous terrain of Tigray and the borders with Sudan and Eritrea aided the TPLF during its long struggle against the Marxist dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam, whom it finally overthrew in 1991.
The TPLF and Eritrean forces fought together against Mengistu, but relations deteriorated after Eritrea gained independence in 1993. The two nations fought a border dispute in 1998-2000 and the TPLF views Eritrea as a deadly enemy.
Eritrea signed a peace agreement with Abiy in 2018 and the prime minister won the Nobel Peace Prize last year.
EXPLOSIONS IN THE CAPITAL OF ERITREA
Six explosions were reported in Eritrea’s capital Asmara on Saturday night, the US State Department said, although it was not immediately clear whether they were related to the Tigray conflict. The State Department publication did not mention the cause or location of the blasts.
Tigrayan forces fired rockets at Eritrea on November 14.
Reuters was unable to reach the Eritrean government or Tigray forces for comment.
The TPLF, which denounces Abiy’s warm relations with Eritrea, has accused Eritrea of sending troops to Tigray to join the Ethiopian government’s fight.
The Eritrean government could not be reached for comment.
The TPLF also accuses Abiy of wanting to centralize control at the expense of Ethiopia’s 10 regions. The constitution gives the regions broad powers over matters such as taxes and security.
Abiy has denied that he wants to centralize power.
This year, Abiy postponed the elections scheduled for August until next year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Calling this a takeover, the TPLF held its own regional elections in September and announced that it no longer recognized federal authority. The Abiy government declared the election of Tigray illegal.
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