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“Sky News Arabia” reported that the Ethiopian army announced its entry into the city of Mikeli, after battles that lasted a whole day.
Abi Ahmed said Ethiopian army forces managed to enter the capital of Tigray after battles fought on Saturday, “without targeting innocent civilians.”
In a statement broadcast on Ethiopian state television, he explained that the army forces managed to enter Mekele after “a great cooperation from the residents of the city.”
For his part, the Chief of Staff of the Ethiopian Army, General Berhanu Gula, stated that the army had taken control of Mikeli “completely”, noting that “the army is currently persecuting the leaders and forces of the Liberation Front of Tigray “.
He added that “the army took full control of the northern command, which the front forces attacked earlier this month,” and noted that the army carried out “with all responsibility and precision to avoid danger to innocent civilians and people and preserve the historical heritage of the region “.
Earlier on Saturday, the head of the Ethiopian Defense Forces training unit, Lieutenant General Hassan Ibrahim, said: “Federal forces have taken control of the town of Wagro, 50 kilometers north of Mikeli, and indicated that “they will take control of the capital in a few days.”
He added that government forces also seized control of several other cities, according to “Reuters.”
The government gave the Tigray People’s Liberation Front last Sunday to lay down its arms or face an attack on Mekele, which has a population of 500,000, and this deadline expired last Wednesday.
Ahmed, who announced Thursday that the army had started the “final phase” of the offensive, told African peace envoys on Friday that his government would protect civilians in Tigray.
