The Ethiopian prime minister said on Thursday that the army had been ordered to move to the hometown of Tigre’s regional capital after a 727-hour ultimatum to surrender to Tigre leaders, and warned half a million city dwellers to stay indoors and remain unarmed.
After three weeks of fighting, the military offensive “has reached its final stage,” Prime Minister Abiya Ahmed’s office said. That means tanks and other weapons could be shut down at McLean, whose residents were warned “no mercy” if they did not move away from Tigre leaders in time.
Diplomacy in Dubat, on the branch of escalation with Ethiopia
This caused an international uproar as rights groups said such words could violate international law and put citizens at greater risk. “We will take great care to protect our citizens,” Abiathar said in a statement.
He also stressed that thousands of Tigris troops and special forces surrendered during the 72-hour period.
The United Nations has reported people fleeing Macaulay, but communications and transport links are scattered along Tigre, and it is unclear how many people received timely warnings. Tigre regional leaders are not immediately accessible.
“It’s heartbreaking to see what’s going on beyond words, and to see a great country collapse,” he said in a message sent from a MacLean resident and the Associated Press on Wednesday. The message expressed frustration at not being able to reach loved ones elsewhere in the region, adding, “Ohhhhhh God!”
The international community is calling for immediate de-escalation, dialogue and humanitarian access as Ethiopian forces fight the road from Tigre to Macaulay. “Enmity in Ethiopia is a major concern for the EU. In the face of casualties, the threat of a major humanitarian crisis is imminent. EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic tweeted on Thursday that there was an urgent need for de-escalation by all parties.
But last year’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate Abi has denied international “interference”. His government has said three high-level African Union envoys for the conflict could meet with Abi, but not with Tigre leaders.
On Thursday, Abi’s office said for the first time that a “humanitarian access route” would be opened under the auspices of the country’s peace ministry, without elaborating. The government also said that distribution of supplies to Tigre areas has now started.
Tigre people fleeing fighting in Ethiopia’s Tigre region, on Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2020, walks in the Umm Rakouba refugee camp in Kadiri, East Sudan. Refugees in Sudan continue to suffer, with little food, little medicine, little shelter, little. Tigre behind little or no contact with funds and loved ones. (AP Photo / Nariman Al-Mofty)
The UN said hours later the shortage in the Tigris region had become “very critical” as its million-million population closed.
It is difficult to verify the claims in the battle that erupted on November 4 between the Ethiopian forces and the heavily armed forces of the Tigre People’s Liberation Front, which at one time dominated the Ethiopian government, but was sidelined under Abi’s rule. Both governments now consider each other illegal.
With fuel and cash running out in Tigre, more than 10 million people are now estimated to be displaced and food for about 100,000 refugees from Eritrea will go in a week, a UN update revealed overnight. And more than 600,000 people who depend on a monthly food ration have not received it this month.
Travel barriers are so severe that even within McClellan, the U.N. The World Food Program cannot access food transfers from its warehouses.
A.P. A statement this week from a representative of the region’s civil society, seen by, said there had been heavy bombings on communities in other places that had prevented many residents from fleeing.
Others are boldly moving from one district to another in the Tigre area and “live in church compounds, streets, schools, health centers,” the statement warned, and carry aid to safe corridors as food runs out. Requested.
Human Rights Watch is warning that “actions that deliberately obstruct relief supplies” violate international humanitarian law, and that a complete shutdown of communications “could be in the form of collective punishment by imposing fines on people without a clear legal basis.”
Another crisis is looming as more than 400,000 Ethiopian refugees flee to remote areas of Sudan, where humanitarian groups and local communities struggle to provide them with food, medical treatment and shelter. About half of the refugees are children under the age of 18. Many fled without taking anything.
“When it’s cold, it hurts a lot,” said Alam Kafa, a wounded refugee. “At night, I have to wrap myself tightly in a blanket so I can sleep. But I don’t sleep at night. ”
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“Just imagine everything, literally for everything, starting with your food, drinking your water, going to the toilet and washing your hands, for everything you depend on,” said Javanshir Hajiyev at Mercy Corps. . This is a really terrible situation. I can’t push how hard it is. “
