In Ethiopia, the conflict in the province of Tigray continues, still cut off from the world since the fighting began on November 4. The federal army says it is advancing against the dissident regional capital Mekele and is preparing to invade it. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed gave the TPLF, the party that runs the region, three days to give up, and the army warned residents of the city and caused a UN warning.
The martial language used by the spokesman for the Ethiopian army caused concern. “We want to send a message to the people in Mekele, said Colonel Dereje Tsegaye during a press conference on Sunday, November 22. Save yourself from artillery attacks and free yourself from TPLF’s junta ” [Front de libération du peuple du Tigré]”” After that, there will be no mercy. “According to several sources, brochures had actually been released across the city the day before by federal army helicopters.
With the Reuters agency, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Ethiopia, Catherine Sozi, was immediately concerned about “the protection of the 525,000 communities living in Mekele” and called for “all infrastructure such as health institutions, schools, water distribution system”, important to the people.
War crime
Laetitia Bader, head of Human Rights Watch for the Horn of Africa, also warned. “Treating an entire city as a military target would not only be illegal,” she said on Twitter, but could also be considered a form of collective punishment, “that is, a war crime.
# Ethiopian military spokesman threatens residents of # Tigray’s capital with artillery if they do not “save themselves” first. Treating an entire city as a military target would not only be illegal, it could also be considered a form of collective punishment https://t.co/LEVRTgKNPf
– Laetitia Bader (@LaetitiaBader) November 22, 2020
In the evening, the Ethiopian government tried to clarify its intentions. The army said the colonel only referred to the TPLF leaders. And a long text signed by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was published by an authority. He assured that “all necessary precautions have been taken to ensure that civilians are not harmed.” He gave TPLF 72 hours to give up, that is, until Wednesday, November 25.
► See also: Ethiopia: Government announces capture of Alamata en route to Mekele
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