Ethiopian pro-government forces say they have retaken strategic town in Tigray
Ethiopian government troops and allied militiamen have captured Alamata, a strategically important town south of Tigray’s capital, a pro-government militia said on Monday, claiming a reversal after opposition forces launched an offensive from the region last week.
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Footage shared on Facebook by the pro-government Tigrai Peace Force appeared to show soldiers moving through Alamata’s streets while carrying Ethiopian flags. Reuters was unable to independently verify the video.
Two diplomatic sources also said Alamata had fallen. A third said pro-government forces had entered the town but that it remained unclear whether they had established full control.
A source linked to opposition forces told Reuters that their fighters were withdrawing from Alamata and expected the federal military to take control within hours.
Representatives of the Ethiopian military and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which is directing the armed resistance against the federal government, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
If confirmed, the capture would mark a significant gain for federal forces advancing towards Mekelle, the regional capital about 120 km (75 miles) north of Alamata. The town is a key supply centre for troops, food and fuel near Tigray’s southern boundary with neighbouring Amhara region, and changed hands repeatedly during the 2020-2022 civil war.
ETHIOPIAN MILITARY ACCUSES NEIGHBOURS OF BACKING OPPOSITION
Fighting that began last Wednesday in Tigray and the neighbouring regions of Amhara and Afar has shattered the four-year-old Pretoria Agreement, which brought an end to a conflict that killed hundreds of thousands of people.
The 2020-2022 war followed the breakdown of relations between the TPLF, a former guerrilla movement and political party that dominated Ethiopian politics for almost three decades, and Abiy, whose appointment as prime minister in 2018 ended the TPLF’s political dominance.
In recent months, the TPLF and the federal government have accused each other of breaching the November 2022 agreement. Three days before beginning its offensive, the TPLF announced an alliance with six other armed groups across Ethiopia that it said was intended to overthrow Abiy’s government.
The renewed violence is adding to instability in the Horn of Africa, a region already strained by Sudan’s civil war, disputes over access to the Red Sea and the effects of conflicts in the Middle East.
In remarks broadcast on state media on Sunday, Ethiopia’s top military commander, Berhanu Jula, repeated allegations that neighbouring Eritrea, Ethiopia’s historic rival, was supporting opposition forces along with Sudan’s armed forces and Egypt.
Eritrea and Sudan’s army have rejected the accusations. Egypt did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS REMAIN DOWN IN TIGRAY
The latest fighting has revived fears of a humanitarian crisis like the one during the 2020-2022 war, when the federal government cut communications with Tigray and severely restricted access to food, cash and medicines.
The International Committee of the Red Cross in Ethiopia said on Monday that it had evacuated 161 people from Mekelle to the capital of neighbouring Afar state. Those evacuated included African Union monitors, federal police officers, Ethiopian Airlines employees and Red Cross staff.
Internet and telephone services in Tigray remained disrupted for a fourth consecutive day. Four sources told Reuters on Friday that the TPLF had ordered the networks to be shut down. The TPLF has not responded to requests for comment on the alleged order.
Tigray has yet to recover from the severe humanitarian damage caused by the 2020-2022 war, which drove hundreds of thousands of people into famine conditions. About 750,000 Tigrayans remained internally displaced as of February, according to the UN refugee agency, while the region is also facing drought associated with El Nino.
