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Updated on: 28. November 2020 / 10:52 a.m.
/ AP
Ethiopia’s military launched an offensive in the regional capital of Tigray on Saturday to arrest the region’s defiant leaders, and the city was « heavily bombed, » Tigray TV reported.
Humanists confirmed the bombardment in Mekele, a densely populated city of half a million people, which immediately raised concerns about civilian casualties. The Tigray leader could not be reached and the Ethiopian government did not comment.
The Ethiopian government had warned the residents of Mekele that there would be « no mercy » if they did not move away from the leaders of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front in time. The United Nations said some residents fled when the military approached.
« The United States is deeply concerned about the deteriorating situation in the Tigray region, » said the U. . S.. . Ambassador to the U. . N. . Kelly Craft tweeted after the reported bombardment began. She called for dialogue, protection of the civilian population and access to aid.
« I invite everyone to pray for Ethiopia, where armed clashes have escalated and are creating a serious humanitarian situation, » tweeted Pope Francis.
Communication with the Tigray region of around 6 million people is still largely disrupted, making it difficult to verify the claims of warring parties in the conflict between the Ethiopian government and the TPLF, which once dominated the country’s ruling coalition , but Minister Abiy Ahmed fell out under the new Prime Minister.
Abiy has refused to enter into dialogue with the TPLF, most recently at his meeting on Friday with envoys from the African Union. Each government considers the other illegal.
The offensive against Mekele has alarmed the international community. Abiy’s government has announced that it will ensure civilians are not injured in the tank-led attack.
When Ethiopian forces entered, Maj. gene. . Hassan Ibrahim vowed to conquer the city « on all fronts ». «
« It is possible that some of the wanted people may go to their families or neighboring areas and try to hide for a few days. But after taking control of the city of Mekele, our armed forces will be tasked with chasing and capturing these criminals one by one wherever they are, « he said in comments to the Ethiopian news agency.
The Tigray region has been around since the 4th. On November 11th, when Abiy announced a military offensive in response to a TPLF attack on a military base, almost completely cut off from the outside world. Humanitarian people have said that at least hundreds of people have been killed.
The fighting threatens to destabilize Ethiopia, which has been described as the fulcrum of the strategic Horn of Africa.
With transportation down, food and other supplies in Tigray, home to 6 million people, are running low, and the United Nations has asked for immediate and unhindered access to aid.
Almost 1 million people have been displaced in the U Region. N. . said in an update Saturday, citing local authorities.
The office of U. . N. . Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he had « expressed serious concern about the impact of the Ethiopian conflict on civilians and the spread of hate speech and reports of ethnic profiles. «
Several crises are increasing. More than 43. 000 refugees have fled to Sudan, where people struggle to find food, shelter and care. The International Committee of the Red Cross says hospitals in Tigray are running out of drugs. And fights near camps where 96. 000 Eritrean refugees are housed in northern Ethiopia, have put them in the line of fire.
U. . N. . The High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi visited the Sudanese refugee camp Umm Rakouba on Saturday. 000 refugees are housed. He said it would take about $ 150 million over the next six months to help Sudan cope with the influx.
What is worrying is that refugees in Sudan have told the Associated Press that Ethiopian forces are preventing people from leaving the country near the border. AP reporters have seen in the past few days that the crossings were trickling slowly. The Ethiopian government has not commented on this.
« We have seen the number of people decrease, but continue to do so. Five to 600 a day is not a small number, let’s make no mistake. There are days when they have been by the thousands, but it also depends on the difficulty of moving around their country and on the border, « said Grandi.
Access to Tigray is « the main barrier at the moment, » he said, urging Abiy to « grant us corridors or whatever they call it to help. « . «
First published on 28. November 2020 / 9:48 a.m.
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Ethiopia, Tigray, Abiy Ahmed, Tigray People’s Liberation Front, Sudan
World News – USA – Ethiopia’s Tigray capital is said to have been « heavily bombed »
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