3 yıl önce

Ethiopia blames TPLF for new hostilities as rebels push into Afar region

Tigray rebels launch "robust" military operations in neighbouring Afar, a decision Addis Ababa says is aimed at "cutting off the primary artery of humanitarian aid to Tigray".

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Ethiopia's war broke out after the government sent troops to end TPLF rule in the Tigray region after the rebels attacked several army camps.

Rebels in Ethiopia's Tigray region have said they have launched "robust" military operations in neighbouring Afar state while the Addis Ababa blamed rebels for the latest hostilities, dampening hopes for a possible ceasefire in the country's 14-month war.

"Since yesterday morning, we have been compelled to take robust actions to neutralise the threat posed by" pro-government forces in Afar region, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) said in a statement.

"Tigray's army does not have a plan to remain in Afar for long nor does it wish to see the conflict deteriorate further," the statement added.

Ethiopia has blamed the latest hostilities on the TPLF and claimed the rebels' moves were aimed at "cutting off the primary artery of humanitarian aid to Tigray."

A government spokesman said on Monday that tens of thousands of people had been displaced over three days and that there were "no government defence forces in this area".

The TPLF said it was going after an entity known as the Red Sea Afar Force as well as soldiers from Eritrea, which has backed the government forces during the conflict.

It comes one month after the TPLF announced it was withdrawing from both the Afar and Amhara regions into Tigray, where fighting broke out between the rebels and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government in November 2020.

The withdrawal had spurred hopes for concrete steps to silence the guns in a conflict that has killed thousands and created a severe humanitarian crisis with many on the brink of famine.

A peace prize to end all peace

Ethiopia's war broke out after Abiy, winner of the 2019 Nobel Peace prize, sent troops to topple the TPLF, which once dominated national politics.

It came in response to TPLF attacks on several army camps.

After initially losing control of Tigray's cities and towns, the TPLF regrouped and retook the region in June, then launched offensives into Afar and Amhara.

In November the rebels claimed to be within roughly 200 kilometres of the capital Addis Ababa, prompting hasty evacuations as countries including the US and France urged their citizens to leave.

The government launched a counter-offensive, however, retaking lost territory in Amhara and Afar.

After the TPLF withdrew into Tigray, Addis Ababa announced it would not pursue them, though the region has been hit hard by deadly air strikes –– including drone strikes –– in recent weeks, according to residents and aid workers.

Obstructing aid

The road from Afar's capital, Semera, to the Tigray capital Mekelle is the only operational land route into Tigray, where the UN estimates hundreds of thousands are living in famine-like conditions.

Earlier on Tuesday, aid workers said Mekelle-bound trucks carrying 800 metric tonnes of food were stuck at a checkpoint in Afar.

Last week the UN said food distribution was at an all-time low in Tigray.

AFP news agency documented starvation deaths in Tigray in September, and in November Tigray's pre-war government said nearly 200 children had died of starvation in hospitals across the region.

SOURCE: AFP