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Ethiopia scorns guerrilla war fears, U.N. team shot at in Tigray

Ethiopia scorns guerrilla war fears, U.N. team shot at in Tigray

ETHIOPIA’S government has denied that northern forces whom its troops have fought for a month would be able to mount a guerrilla insurgency, while diplomats said a United Nations team was shot at while trying to visit a refugee camp. Federal troops have seized the regional capital Mekelle from the former local ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), and declared an end to their month-long offensive. But TPLF leaders say they are fighting back on various fronts around Mekelle. Ethiopia experts fear a drawn-out insurgency with a destabilising impact around east Africa. "The criminal clique pushed a patently…
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Ethiopia’s Abiy denies guerrilla war emerging in Tigray

Ethiopia’s Abiy denies guerrilla war emerging in Tigray

ETHIOPIAN Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed denied on Monday that a rebellious northern force his troops have battled for over a month would have the capacity to mount a guerrilla war from the mountains of Tigray. Federal troops have captured the regional capital Mekelle from the former local ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), and declared an end to their offensive. But TPLF leaders say they are fighting back on various fronts around Mekelle. Ethiopia experts fear a drawn-out insurgency with a destabilising impact around east Africa. "The criminal clique pushed a patently false narrative that its fighters and…
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Insecurity holds up aid to Ethiopia’s Tigray region, aid workers say

Insecurity holds up aid to Ethiopia’s Tigray region, aid workers say

ETHIOPIA’S northern Tigray region is too volatile for aid to reach hundreds of thousands of civilians in need, humanitarian workers have said, amid reports of persistent fighting, looting and lawlessness. Aid agencies have warned of a lack of food, medication and body bags in Tigray, where 600,000 people were already receiving food aid before a month of fighting began between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government and a rebellious regional force. Abiy declared victory over the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) after federal troops captured the regional capital Mekelle eight days ago, saying not a single civilian had been killed in…
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United Nations and Ethiopia reach aid pact for war-hit Tigray

United Nations and Ethiopia reach aid pact for war-hit Tigray

ETHIOPIA and the United Nations have agreed to channel desperately-needed humanitarian aid to a northern region where a month of war has killed, wounded and uprooted thousands. The pact, announced by U.N. officials, gives aid workers access to government-controlled areas of Tigray, where federal troops have been battling the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and captured the regional capital. The war is believed to have killed thousands, sent 45,000 refugees into Sudan, displaced many more within Tigray and worsened suffering in a region where 600,000 people already depended on food aid even before the flare-up from November 4. As hundreds…
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Ethiopian military operation in Tigray region is over, hunt for Tigray leaders begins

Ethiopian military operation in Tigray region is over, hunt for Tigray leaders begins

THE Ethiopian government launched a manhunt for leaders of a rebellious faction in the northern region of Tigrayafter announcing federal troops had taken over the regional capital and military operations were complete. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed government has been trying to quell a rebellion by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), a powerful ethnically-based party that dominated the central government from 1991 until Abiy came to power in 2018. He said on Saturday evening federal troops had taken control of the Tigrayan capital Mekelle within hours of launching an offensive there, laying to rest fears of protracted fighting in the…
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Ethiopian military has taken ‘full control’ of Tigray capital, government says

Ethiopian military has taken ‘full control’ of Tigray capital, government says

ETHIOPIAN troops have taken "full control" of the Tigray region's capital Mekelle, the government has claimed, a major development in a three-week-old war that is sending shockwaves through the Horn of Africa. "The federal government is now fully in control of the city of Mekelle," Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said in a statement posted on his Twitter page. He said police were searching for the leaders of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), who have been fighting federal forces in the northern region since November 4. "Federal police will now continue their task of apprehending TPLF criminals and bring them…
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African peace envoys meet Ethiopian PM in bid for peace in Tigray

African peace envoys meet Ethiopian PM in bid for peace in Tigray

AFRICAN peace envoys have met Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, a day after he said the military was beginning the "final phase" of an offensive in the northern Tigray region that rights groups fear could bring huge civilian casualties. The government had given the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) until Wednesday to lay down their arms or face an assault on Mekelle, the regional capital of 500,000 people. The United Nations says 200 aid workers are also in the city. The African Union envoys were in Addis Ababa "with a view to helping to mediate between the parties to the…
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African envoys head for Ethiopia where thousands of war dead reported

African envoys head for Ethiopia where thousands of war dead reported

AFRICAN Union envoys arrived in Ethiopia hours before an ultimatum was to expire for Tigrayan forces to surrender in a war that has shaken the northern region and killed thousands of its fighters according to one report. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government has set a 72-hour deadline for the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) to lay down arms or face an assault on their highland capital Mekelle, home to half a million people. The deadline was due to run out on Wednesday evening. Large numbers have died and there has been widespread destruction in aerial bombardments and ground fighting since…
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Ethiopia says Axum airport smashed, Tigrayans face surrender deadline

Ethiopia says Axum airport smashed, Tigrayans face surrender deadline

FORCES of Ethiopia's Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) have destroyed an airport in the ancient town of Axum, state-affiliated media has announced, after advancing federal troops gave them a 72-hour ultimatum to surrender. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has told the TPLF, which had been ruling the mountainous northern zone of 5 million people, to lay down arms by Wednesday or face a final assault on the regional capital Mekelle. TPLF leader Debretsion Gebremichael told Reuters that the threat was a cover for government forces to regroup after what he described as defeats on three fronts. There was no immediate response…
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Ethiopia PM gives Tigray forces 72 hours to surrender regional capital

Ethiopia PM gives Tigray forces 72 hours to surrender regional capital

ETHIOPIAN Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed gave Tigrayan regional forces 72 hours to surrender before the military begins an offensive on the regional capital of Mekelle. "We urge you to surrender peacefully within 72 hours, recognising that you are at the point of no return," Abiy said in a message posted on Twitter on Sunday evening. Tigrayan forces could not immediately be reached for comment. A military spokesman said earlier that advancing Ethiopian troops plan to surround Mekelle with tanks and may shell the city to force surrender. The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which is refusing to surrender its rule…
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