The military in Ethiopia has claimed that it has recaptured several towns in the northern region of the Tigray. For the last few weeks, the Ethiopian army has been locked in a conflict with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). On Friday, Hassan Ibrahim, a Lieutenant-General in the army, said that it has captured a key town near the capital in the northern Tigray, along with numerous other small towns in the region.
The recent development comes a day after the Ethiopian government announced that it was entering the final phase of the offensive against TPLF. Since the government has shut down all the communication channels, including telephone lines and the internet, it’s a little hard for the local and international media to confirm the details of the on-going conflict between the government and the rebellious TPLF.
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Meanwhile, in a meeting with African peace envoys on Friday, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed told them that the government would ensure the safety of the civilian population in the northern part of the country. But the envoys were not allowed to visit the conflicted Tigray, and there was no mention of any potential talks between the two factions to curb the on-going violence and deadly clashes.
Earlier, Abiy Ahmed had said that the Ethiopian military would not harm the civilians in the capital of Tigray, Mekelle, which has a population of more than 500,000 people, and urged the residents of the city to stay indoors until the crisis is over.
In response, the TPLF, which controls the northern province of Tigray has vowed to continue fighting. Moreover, the United Nations has also warned of possible war crimes if the national army advances on the capital of Tigray. It has also expressed concerns about the lack of humanitarian access to the conflicted region.
On Thursday, the Ethiopian government stated that it would soon open up an aid route that would be overseen by the state and repeated their willingness to work with the international aid agencies, and protect the civilian population in the region. Since the conflict began, nearly 40,000 people have fled the area. BBC reported that the army has deployed troops near the Tigray border with neighboring Sudan to stop the people fleeing the violence from leaving the country.
What is TPLF?
On the other hand, the well-trained paramilitary unit called TPLF has more than 250,000 fighters. Several political experts have expressed their fears that the Tigray crisis could evolve into a full-blown gorilla conflict, with the TPLF mounting attacks on the government and army even if the national army takes control of Tigray.
Debretsion Gebremichael, the leader of the armed group has said that its troops are ready to sacrifice their lives to protect their right to rule their territory. RushHourDaily reported that the TPLF had mobilized a lot of people in the capital of Tigray, and they are digging trenches at several locations and fully armed. International aid groups have highlighted the fears of a potential humanitarian crisis if the Tigray crisis continues to escalate.
Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, which is appointed by the state authorities, recently accused the Tigray youth of aiding a massacre of non-Tigray people earlier this month in the city of Mai-Kadra, killing more than 600 people. However, the TPLF has categorically denied their involvement in the incident.
When did the Tigray crisis worsen?
The recent conflict was rooted in longstanding tensions between the current Ethiopian government and the TPLF, which remained a dominant political force in Ethiopia until Abiy Ahmed took office and initiated a series of reforms. But the situation worsened when the government postponed national elections in June this year due to the pandemic outbreak in the country.
The TPLF has argued that Abiy’s mandate to rule the country is over as it has not been challenged in a national election. In September, they held their election in Tigray, prompting the government to declare them as “illegal.” On November 4, the Prime Minister ordered the army to launch an offensive on Tigray after accusing the TPLF of attacking the northern command headquarters in the region.
