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Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s statement on Sunday night to Tigran’s opponents was stark and grim:
“Your story of destruction is coming to an end, and we urge you to surrender peacefully within 72 hours and acknowledge that you are in a state of no return.”
“Take this last chance,” Abiy added, according to the statement.
Abiy, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019, decided to start the military operation in Tigray in early November. This after an attack on federal forces that accuses the Tigre People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which controls the region, of being behind.
Tigray’s telecommunications and internet communications were shut down during the fighting, which reportedly claimed the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, of people.
Abiy Ahmed has repeatedly rejected international attempts to achieve a ceasefire.
Government forces said on Saturday they had seized control of the city of Adigrat, about 12 miles north of Mekele. The civilian population of the regional capital should now prepare for an imminent offensive, warns military spokeswoman Dejene Tsegaye.
“Mercilessly”
He says the next phase of the military operation will be crucial.
– So far, we only hit targets where board fighters (TPLF) have been stationed, but when it comes to Mekele, it can be different, says Dejene.
– We urge the public in Mekele to make sure they avoid artillery strikes and break free from the junta. The board is currently hiding among the public and the public must isolate itself from the board, he continues.
– After that, there will be no mercy (for the TPLF leadership).
“Empty pride”
In her statement, Abiy urges the people of Mekele, about half a million, to side with the army against the TPLF to “bring this treacherous group to justice.”
According to Abiy, all that TPLF still has is “the fort they built in Mekele and even the pride.”
The Prime Minister also says that “all necessary measures have been taken to ensure that civilians are not injured.”
Many civilians are fleeing
Tigran leader Debretsion Gebremichael says the TPLF still holds its positions south of Mekele and is trying to repel federal forces near Adigrat.
“Surrounding Mekele is their plan, but they have not yet succeeded. On the southern front, they have not been able to move an inch for more than a week,” he wrote in a text message to Reuters.
“They send us wave after wave, but to no avail,” continues Debretsion.
At the same time, civilians who have to pay for the fighting continue to flee to Sudan. So far some 36,000 Ethiopians have arrived and the UN warns that there could be as many as 200,000.
– Sudan receives more new refugees per day than most European countries accept in a year, says Jan Egeland, director of the Norwegian aid organization NRC.
– We must help all those in need, he continues.
Ethiopian refugees, who crossed the border into Sudan to escape the fighting in Tigray, lined up to receive blankets at a reception center. The photo is from last Saturday. Image: Nariman El-Mofty / AP / TT
The Tigray region is located in the northern part of Ethiopia and the population represents about 6 percent of the 109 million inhabitants of the country. The region, together with the Afar region and parts of Eritrea, was the central country of the oldest Ethiopia.
The capital is Mekele.
The population of the region is generally richer and more influential compared to residents of other larger regions of the country.
The backbone of the guerrillas that toppled the regime of dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1991 were the tigers that later came to dominate Ethiopian politics. But its influence has waned under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and late last year, the TPLF-dominated party left the ruling coalition.
Since Abiy Ahmed came to power in 2018, several Tigranian executives have been fired, fired or marginalized, something the federal government says has happened as a result of anti-corruption efforts. The Tigreans, for their part, have viewed government action as a way to reduce their influence.
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