The Ethiopian army has captured three towns in the northern region of Tigray, one to the northwest and two to the south of the regional capital Mekelle, the government said on Tuesday as one senior official said the conflict was being “extinguished”.
The Ethiopian military and allies including troops from neighbouring Eritrea have been battling Tigray forces on and off for two years, a conflict that has killed thousands, displaced millions and left hundreds of thousands on the brink of famine.
“The ENDF (Ethiopian National Defence Force) has taken control of the towns of Shire, Alamata, and Korem without fighting in urban areas,” Ethiopia's government information service said in a statement.
A spokesperson for the Tigray forces did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Earlier, the Tigray authorities had acknowledged losing control of Shire.
Located about 140km (90 miles) northwest of Mekelle, Shire has an airport and is one of the region's biggest towns. It hosts tens of thousands of people who were displaced from other areas by the conflict.
Korem and Alamata are about 170km and 180km south of Mekelle along the main road leading to the neighbouring region of Amhara.
A resident of Mekelle said people were rushing to stockpile basic goods as fears grew that federal and Eritrean forces might arrive. The resident, who asked not to be named because of safety fears, said prices had jumped by 10% and were expected to rise further if troops approached.
The Tigray conflict is rooted in long-running rivalries between regional power blocs over control of Ethiopia as a whole and in deep disagreements over how power should be balanced between federal and regional authorities.
Late last year, the Tigray forces advanced into Amhara as far as Debre Sina, a town just 190km from the national capital Addis Ababa, before they were pushed back within Tigray's boundaries.
This week's gains by the government are the most significant battlefield shifts since that offensive and counteroffensive.
Redwan Hussien, National Security Adviser to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, said the conflict was not spiralling — a thinly veiled rebuke of U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres who said on Monday it was spiralling out of control.
“It was spiralling when being expanded to other regions. Now, it's just being extinguished & degenerating,” Redwan said, suggesting the government believed it was making decisive military gains.
The United Nations human rights office said it was concerned that some air strikes by government forces in Tigray had been indiscriminate.
In its statement, the government said the national army was taking “maximum care” to protect civilians.
The government will co-ordinate preparations with humanitarian groups to bring aid and restore services to areas now under its control, the statement added.
The United Nations, the European Union and several senior US government officials have all called for an immediate ceasefire, for the launch of African Union-sponsored talks and for the withdrawal of Eritrean troops from Ethiopia.
Reuters
Ethiopia says army has captured three towns from Tigray forces
Image: REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
The Ethiopian army has captured three towns in the northern region of Tigray, one to the northwest and two to the south of the regional capital Mekelle, the government said on Tuesday as one senior official said the conflict was being “extinguished”.
The Ethiopian military and allies including troops from neighbouring Eritrea have been battling Tigray forces on and off for two years, a conflict that has killed thousands, displaced millions and left hundreds of thousands on the brink of famine.
“The ENDF (Ethiopian National Defence Force) has taken control of the towns of Shire, Alamata, and Korem without fighting in urban areas,” Ethiopia's government information service said in a statement.
A spokesperson for the Tigray forces did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Earlier, the Tigray authorities had acknowledged losing control of Shire.
Located about 140km (90 miles) northwest of Mekelle, Shire has an airport and is one of the region's biggest towns. It hosts tens of thousands of people who were displaced from other areas by the conflict.
Korem and Alamata are about 170km and 180km south of Mekelle along the main road leading to the neighbouring region of Amhara.
A resident of Mekelle said people were rushing to stockpile basic goods as fears grew that federal and Eritrean forces might arrive. The resident, who asked not to be named because of safety fears, said prices had jumped by 10% and were expected to rise further if troops approached.
The Tigray conflict is rooted in long-running rivalries between regional power blocs over control of Ethiopia as a whole and in deep disagreements over how power should be balanced between federal and regional authorities.
Late last year, the Tigray forces advanced into Amhara as far as Debre Sina, a town just 190km from the national capital Addis Ababa, before they were pushed back within Tigray's boundaries.
This week's gains by the government are the most significant battlefield shifts since that offensive and counteroffensive.
Redwan Hussien, National Security Adviser to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, said the conflict was not spiralling — a thinly veiled rebuke of U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres who said on Monday it was spiralling out of control.
“It was spiralling when being expanded to other regions. Now, it's just being extinguished & degenerating,” Redwan said, suggesting the government believed it was making decisive military gains.
The United Nations human rights office said it was concerned that some air strikes by government forces in Tigray had been indiscriminate.
In its statement, the government said the national army was taking “maximum care” to protect civilians.
The government will co-ordinate preparations with humanitarian groups to bring aid and restore services to areas now under its control, the statement added.
The United Nations, the European Union and several senior US government officials have all called for an immediate ceasefire, for the launch of African Union-sponsored talks and for the withdrawal of Eritrean troops from Ethiopia.
Reuters
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Most read
Latest Videos