Tigray forces say they shot down Ethiopian plane, retook Axum

Insurgent forces from Ethiopia’s Tigray area claimed they shot down a army airplane and retook a city from federal forces on Sunday, a day after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed declared victory within the northern area.

Debretsion Gebremichael, chief of the Tigray Individuals’s Liberation Entrance (TPLF), informed the Reuters information company in a textual content message that his forces additionally captured the pilot of the army airplane.

There was no fast remark from the federal government or the army, whereas claims from all sides are tough to confirm since telephone and web hyperlinks to the northern Tigray area have been down and entry tightly managed because the battle started on November four.

The Ethiopian authorities has been attempting to quell a insurrection by the TPLF, a strong ethnically based mostly occasion that dominated the central authorities for almost three many years till Abiy got here to energy in 2018. 1000’s of individuals are believed to have been killed because the combating started, greater than 43,000 have fled to neighbouring Sudan, and there are experiences of militias attacking civilians.

The battle has been a tough take a look at for Abiy, a frontrunner who pledged to unite the myriad ethnic teams that make up Ethiopia’s 115 million inhabitants, however who has confronted repeated bouts of violence throughout the nation. The circulate of refugees and rocket assaults by the TPLF on neighbouring Eritrea additionally threaten to destabilise the broader Horn of Africa area.

Abiy, who has rebuffed worldwide affords to mediate, mentioned on Saturday night that federal troops had taken management of the Tigrayan capital Mekelle, allaying fears of protracted combating within the metropolis of 500,000 folks. He mentioned federal police would attempt to arrest TPLF “criminals” and convey them to court docket.

Police then issued arrest warrants for 17 army officers on prices of treason and embezzlement of public properties, state-affiliated Fana TV reported. Arrest warrants exist already for 117 different senior officers with alleged ties to the TPLF.

Spectre of armed warfare

It was not clear if any TPLF leaders had surrendered or been apprehended since Saturday. Their whereabouts have been additionally unknown. Even because the TPLF withdrew from Mekelle, Debretsion, the group’s chairman, informed Reuters his forces would combat on – a declaration that raised the spectre of a drawn-out armed warfare. In Sunday’s textual content messages, he mentioned the TPLF had additionally retaken the city of Axum.

Additionally on Sunday, Ethiopian state tv mentioned that 70 graves, some holding particular person and a few a number of our bodies, have been discovered within the city of Humera in Tigray, and quoted witnesses who claimed the victims have been killed by pro-TPLF fighters.

The report couldn’t be independently verified.

Human rights investigators and civilians fleeing the battle say fighters from either side, together with civilian militias supporting extra formal safety forces, have carried out mass killings. Each the federal government and the TPLF deny their forces have been concerned.

The Worldwide Committee of the Purple Cross (ICRC) mentioned Mekelle was quiet on Sunday. Nevertheless it mentioned in an announcement hospitals have been working low on provides similar to gloves to take care of the wounded, and one hospital lacked physique baggage for the lifeless.

At Ayder Referral Hospital, one of many metropolis’s greatest, the ICRC mentioned it “discovered roughly 80 p.c of sufferers to be affected by trauma accidents,” with out specifying how the accidents have been sustained.

“The inflow of wounded pressured the hospital to droop many different medical companies in order that restricted workers and sources might be dedicated to emergency medical care,” the ICRC added.

Assaults on Asmara

Regional diplomats and consultants have additionally mentioned that a fast army victory in Mekelle may not mark the top of the battle.

On Saturday, hours after Abiy introduced Mekelle had fallen to federal forces, rockets have been launched from Tigray hitting Asmara, the capital of neighbouring Eritrea, two diplomats informed the AFP information company.

The rockets seemed to be geared toward Asmara’s airport and army installations, although it was unclear the place they landed and what injury they may have prompted. The US embassy in Asmara reported that “six explosions” had occurred within the metropolis “at about 10:13pm” (19:13 GMT) on Saturday.

The TPLF has accused Eritrea of sending troops into Tigray in assist of the Ethiopian authorities and mentioned it fired rockets at Asmara on November 14.

The TPLF has a historical past of armed resistance. Tigray’s mountainous terrain and borders with Sudan and Eritrea helped the group throughout its lengthy battle towards Marxist strongman Mengistu Haile Mariam, whom it will definitely toppled in 1991.

The TPLF and Eritrean forces fought collectively towards Mengistu, and Eritrea secured its independence from Ethiopia together with his departure. However relations soured quickly after. The 2 nations went to warfare over a border dispute in 1998-2000.

Abiy received a Nobel Peace Prize final 12 months for making peace with Eritrea, however the TPLF continues to treat the nation as a mortal enemy.

Abiy’s authorities launched the offensive in Tigray after what it described as an assault by native forces on federal troops stationed there.

The TPLF accuses Abiy of desirous to consolidate management on the expense of Ethiopia’s 10 areas, which train wide-ranging powers over issues similar to taxation and safety. Abiy denies this.

Tensions escalated after Tigray held a regional election in September in defiance of the federal authorities, which had postponed voting nationwide in August due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal government known as the Tigray vote unlawful.