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Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed says he is not ignoring international warnings about escalating conflict in the Tigray region.
The Ethiopian army has seized the airport in the city of Humera amid a nearly week-long conflict in the northern region of Tigray.
“The Ethiopian National Defense Force has completely captured Humera airport in the middle [a] continuation of [the] the government’s military response against the rebel group TPLF, ”state-affiliated Fana TV reported Tuesday, referring to the government-led organization in the Tigray region.
Humera is located in the extreme northwest of the country, close to Ethiopia’s borders with Sudan and Eritrea.
A blackout of telephone and internet communications in Tigray has made it difficult to verify the situation on the ground.
The report came as the office of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said it is not ignoring international calls for calm on the escalating conflict that many fear is sliding into civil war.
Violence in the northern area bordering Eritrea and Sudan threatens to destabilize the second most populous country in Africa. Ethnic conflict in the region has simmered since Abiy took office in 2018.
“The prime minister does not reject anyone. He had acknowledged and appreciated the concerns shown, “said Abiy spokeswoman Billene Seyoum, in response to a request for comment on a diplomat’s claim that Abiy” was not listening to anyone. “
“However, Ethiopia is a sovereign nation and its government will ultimately make decisions in the long-term interest of the country and its people.”
The United Nations wants Abiy, a former soldier who once fought alongside the Tigrayans against Eritrea, to start the dialogue.
Hundreds of dead
Abiy, the continent’s youngest leader at age 44, won the Nobel Peace Prize last year for democratic reforms and for making peace with Eritrea.
But last week, the prime minister, who belongs to Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group, the Oromo, launched a campaign against forces loyal to Tigrayan ethnic leaders in the northern region. He accused them of attacking a military base.
Hundreds of people have died in the latest conflict, sources on the government side said Monday. But Abiy said the fears of chaos were unfounded.
Concerns that Ethiopia will sink into chaos are unfounded and are the result of a failure to fully understand our context. Our law enforcement operation, as a sovereign state with the ability to manage its own internal affairs, will soon conclude with an end to the prevailing impunity2 / 2 pic.twitter.com/YMaRbhfFOw
– Abiy Ahmed Ali 🇪🇹 (@AbiyAhmedAli) November 9, 2020
Leaders of the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia said on Monday that the federal government led by Abiy had launched more than 10 airstrikes against them in recent days.
Meanwhile, the newly appointed Ethiopian army chief Berhanu Jula said federal forces had captured four villages in western Tigray, where much of the fighting has reportedly been concentrated.
Ethiopian television broadcast images of what it said were Ethiopian government forces entering the border town of Dansha in Tigray. The footage showed residents celebrating and cheering for the arrival of government soldiers.
The public broadcaster also showed images of what were allegedly Tigray militiamen who surrendered. The Ethiopian air force is “striking targets with precision,” a military official said Monday.
Neighboring Sudan reportedly sent more than 6,000 soldiers to the border.
Up to 250,000 fighters
Tigrayans make up only 6% of Ethiopians, but before the Abiy government they had dominated politics for almost 30 years.
They are hardened by the 1999-2000 war with neighboring Eritrea and by the fight to overthrow Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1991. They and their allies number up to 250,000 fighters and possess significant stocks of military equipment, according to the International Crisis Group. tank.
The Tigrayans say the Abiy government has unjustly attacked them as part of a crackdown on rights abuses and corruption in the past.
All-out war would damage Ethiopia’s economy after years of steady growth. Abiy has promised sweeping reforms to open up lucrative sectors like telecommunications to foreign investment.
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