ADDIS ABABA – The Ethiopian military’s operations in the northern region of Tigray are set to enter a “final” phase, according to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, as global pressure mounted to bring the two-week-old conflict to a swift end.
This came as the three-day deadline for fighters of the northern region’s ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), to hand themselves over expired.
Federal forces claim to control Tigray's western zone, where fighting has been heavy, and over the weekend said they had seized the town of Alamata, 180km south of the regional capital, Mekele.
Tigrayan leader Debretsion Gebremichael, however, also told AFP today that "the government and people of Tigray" would hold their ground.
Ahmed deployed troops to the region on November 4, saying it came in response to attacks by the TPLF on federal military camps.
Critics, however, say that the central government is scapegoating the TPLF for internal unrest and insecurity.
The fighting has left hundreds dead and prompted around 25,000 Ethiopians to flee across the border into Sudan, with many more refugees expected.
Amnesty International also reported a massacre in the region, possibly carried out by the TPLF, which prompted the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, to call for a probe into possible war crimes amid the conflict.
A communications blackout imposed by Ahmed’s government on Tigray has also made it difficult to assess the situation on the ground. – AFP, November 17, 2020
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