Heavy fighting in Ethiopia’s Tigray state as Prime Minister Abiy shines the spotlight
NAIROBI, Kenya – Bitter fighting erupted on Monday and part of Tuesday in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, even as the country went to the polls, which was after all boycotted by the main opposition leaders, who blame Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of severity.
Monday’s fighting involved the Ethiopian National Defense Forces [ENDF] and those of the Tigray Defense Forces [TDF] otherwise known as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Tigray [TPLF], who are considered separatists in the Horn of Africa nation.
In multiple statements sent to the media, TDF confirmed having seized several towns, witnesses telling the BBC to have seen its fighters patrolling. TDF had lost the grip of many sections of Tigray after the launch of the operation in November 2020.
However, the Ethiopian Federal Army rejected the allegation, saying it was fake news. It is the most serious fighting since November, when the Ethiopian government declared victory in the conflict.
The fighting began as the country prepared for local legislative elections, which were boycotted by the main parties. It is expected that Abiy Ahmed’s party [Prosperity Party] will win most of the seats.
Many parts of the country still have to go to the elections due to the Tigray crisis, with the Council of the National Electoral Commission [NEBE] postponement of some parliamentary polls to September 2021. Besides Tigray, some regions have also seen polls delayed due to security concerns.
Thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced in the war that began almost eight months ago. Following the fighting, some five million people in Tigray are in need of food aid and more than 350,000 are living in conditions of famine, according to a recent estimate supported by the UN.
TDF spokesperson Gebre GebreTsadiq said his group launched the attack on several cities last week. He said fighters destroyed military vehicles and captured soldiers.
Witnesses told the BBC that rebel forces entered the strategic town of Adigrat, located just 45 km (30 miles) from the Eritrean border. If confirmed, it would be the most significant rebel advance since the start of the war.
TDF fighters who retreated after the offensive by ENDF and Eritrean troops have been seen in recent weeks north and south of Mekele, the regional administrative capital of the Tigray region. Government troops have been accused of overseeing mass killings in the region.
Colonel Getnet, the spokesperson for the ENDF confirmed that there was fighting but denied that any towns, army equipment or soldiers had been captured.
“While the Ethiopian government was busy with national elections and GERD [Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam] questions, the terrorist TPLF [a key part of the TDF], along with his young recruits, was actively involved in terrorist activities, “he said, adding that some rebel leaders would be captured.
For the past eight months, the United Nations has monitored atrocities in the Tigray region, with human rights groups accusing the Ethiopian administration of plotting to exterminate Tigrayans in the country over a political grudge that has existed for years .
UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet said the global body was “deeply troubled” by reports of continuing violations, including executions in Tigray as elections began in Ethiopia. This is the first time that the UN has spoken “strongly” on the Tigray conflict.
She added that a long-awaited joint investigation into the alleged genocide should be ready by August. A number of organizations, including the African Union, are investigating the alleged genocide in the Tigray region, which has left thousands dead and others displaced.
Already the US and UK have issued visa restrictions for senior officials in Ethiopia and Eritrea over the Tigray conflict, but the names have yet to be released. However, it is believed that those affected are mainly military generals from both countries.
The conflict began when the Ethiopian government, aided by troops from neighboring Eritrea, launched an offensive in November last year to topple the then ruling party in the region, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Tigray. [TPLF]. At the end of the month, he declared victory.
The TPLF had had massive fallout with Mr. Abiy on his political reforms through his capture of federal military bases in Tigray was the catalyst for the invasion. The TPLF has since joined forces with other groups in Tigray to form the TDF.
Speaking to the BBC on Monday after voting in the twice delayed national elections, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said he was working with Eritrean troops to get them out, but said he would not “push them back “.
They are accused of having perpetrated massacres, mass rapes and blocking humanitarian aid – charges denied by Eritrea. He also denied that there was hunger in Tigray. He admitted there was a problem, but said the government could fix it.
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