Ethiopia begins offensive to capture Tigray’s capital
Ethiopia has launched an offensive to capture Mekelle, the regional capital of the northernmost Tigray region, amid an escalation of violence that has sparked fears of an imminent civil war in the East African country.
Debretsion Gebremichael, leader of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), said the city was under “heavy bombardment” on Saturday.
He also accused the government of using artillery in the assault, calling on the UN and African Union to condemn the use of high-tech weaponry in the conflict.
Meanwhile, aid groups warned about extensive civilian casualties in Makelle, a city of 500,000 people.
A spokeswoman for Ethiopian Prime Minister’s office, Billene Seyoum, however, said the army forces would not “bombard” civilian areas.
She said that “the safety of Ethiopians in Makelle and Tigray region continues as priority for the federal government.”
The government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed gave Tigray’s ruling party — the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) —an ultimatum last Sunday to lay down arms or face an assault on Mekelle.
The ultimatum expired on Wednesday.
The prime minister assured African peace envoys on Friday that his government will protect civilians in the volatile region of Tigray.
Abiy ordered the army offensive in the restive Tigray region early this month, in response to a deadly attack on an army base that killed at least 54 people from the ethnic Amhara group in the Oromia region.
He accused the TPLF of having staged the attack, but the TPLF said the attack was a pre-emptive strike.
The prime minister now says he regards the conflict as an internal matter, thus his government has so far rebuffed attempts at mediation.
The conflict has displaced at least 20,000 Ethiopians, according to the United Nations.
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