[246][247][248] The TDF had, thus far, largely resisted the offensive, and reportedly launched a counterattack to retake Sheraro. Military attacks are once again punctuating the ongoing crisis in Ethiopia. [306] They issued another emergency alert on 20 November 2021, stating that "both sides are committing genocide," referring to detentions of thousands of people based on Oromo or Tigrayan ethnic identity, and arguing that "Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's hate speech and calls for war" together with attacks by the ENDF and TPLF put Ethiopia into stages 4 (dehumanization), 6 (polarization), 8 (persecution), and 9 (extermination) of the ten stages of genocide. [58][153], After Ethiopian federal forces and their allies captured Mekelle and other major cities, forces loyal to the Tigray government began to regroup into mountainous areas of the region and reorganized under the banner of the Tigray Defense Forces (TDF). [362] One refugee interviewed by Reuters said that if they didn't leave when they did, they would have been killed by Amhara forces. [368], Facebook has been heavily criticized for its perceived role in fuelling ethnic tensions during the war, and has faced accusations that, in choosing not to crack down on hate speech being spread by Ethiopian users, it is complicit in cases of ethnic cleansing in the country. In total, 27 civilians were killed and 100 others were injured. Army chief of staff of Ethiopia, General Birhanu Jula, made the accusations in a televised statement on Thursday. Abiy, a non-Tigrayan politician with little ties to the TPLF, enjoyed widespread popularity. [160] However, refugees also spoke of the EDF killing 80150 people in Idaga Hamus on 30 November, as part of a larger series of extrajudicial killings known as the Adigrat massacres. From 26 November to 6 December 2021, Ethiopian allied forces recaptured several towns in the Amhara and Afar regions including Lalibela and Shewa Robit, according to the Ethiopian government. Army chief of staff of Ethiopia, General Birhanu Jula, made the accusations in a televised statement on Thursday. This became apparent in the last two months after the Tigrayan rebels achieved major gains in the Tigray region by seizing key areas after the army withdrew. Abiy has since folded the other three regional parties into his own national party, but the TPLF refused to join. The US has been backing the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) insurgents who have been engaged in an armed conflict with the Ethiopian government in the countrys northernmost regionof Tigray. [208], South of Kombolcha, the OLA claimed to have seized control over Kemise on the A2 Highway which links Mekelle to the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa,[61] and later declared they were considering an offensive towards the capital. Thousands of Ethiopian troops supported by artillery, tanks, and airstrikes fought dug-in forces loyal to the Tigray regional government. [135][136] Two days later, refugees interviewed by the Daily Telegraph, The Guardian and The New York Times stated that Amhara militias, including Fano,[137][138] and the ENDF[78] carried out beatings and massacres of 92 Tigrayans in Humera. [259][260] Ethiopian forces then took Alamata and Korem in the south. Ethiopia's military has accused Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organisation, of siding with rebels led by the Tigray People's Liberation Front as the country nears. In early November 2020, TPLF forces were accused of having attacked and looted federal military bases in the region. This is how the Gulf nation is also known to support the Khalifa Haftar regime in Libya against the Turkey-backed regime. At the end of the day, Ethiopia is avoiding becoming a client State of any nation and is maintaining its strategic autonomy. [209], Wartime rape and sexual violence was also widespread, being perpetrated by virtually all sides. [226] However, in January 2022, the Ethiopian Air Force began launching a bombing campaign in the Tigray Region, killing 108 people, including at least 56 from an airstrike targeting an IDP camp in Dedebit. However, no one except the US wants to support the TPLF fighters in their bid to break up the nation of Ethiopia. Currently, Ethiopia seems to be in a comfortable position. [170], Fighting intensified in early April;[154] by this point, the TDF was in control of the rural areas of central and southern Tigray along with parts of eastern and south-eastern Tigray, while the ENDF was in control of the main roads and urban areas. [188][189] Following the TDF's counter-attack on two districts of his region, the Amhara regional President, Agegnehu Teshager, called for the total mobilisation of all people of all ages who are armed in the region to fight against the Tigrayans. [280], There have been multiple unconfirmed reports of Somali troops being sent from a secret training base in Eritrea run by the National Intelligence and Security Agency to fight against the newly formed TDF. The Amhara government also denied the reports of forced displacement and asked the Ethiopian government to modify the border between the Amhara and Tigray regions. Ethiopia's military accused World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Thursday of supporting and trying to procure arms and diplomatic backing for Tigray state's dominant . "[124], Just before midnight on 3 November 2020, Tigray Special Forces and allied local militia attacked the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) Northern Command headquarters in Mekelle, the Fifth Battalion barracks in Dansha, and other Northern Command bases. However, the US narrative doesnt really fit the Ethiopian National sentiment. United Arab Emirates has supported the Abiy government financially and also with drones (Unmanned Air Vehicles) in the war on Tigray. Ethiopia's military yesterday accused the World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of supporting and trying to procure arms and diplomatic backing for Tigray state's dominant political party, which is fighting federal forces. On Friday, even a UN aid plane couldnt. Abiy also reportedly imports drones from Iran and Turkey to use against Tigray's population, hospitals, and aid convoys. They have also claimed the woredas (districts) of Welkait, Tegede, Kafta Humera, Tselemti, and Raya to be theirs. "Tigray has handed over its heavy weapons as part of its commitment to implementing the #Pretoria agreement" that was signed between Ethiopia's government and Tigrayan rebels, Tigray People's. So, what makes Ethiopia so important that the UAE too decided to defy the US and back Addis Ababa? Human rights deteriorated during this time, with opposition groups complaining ofpersecution and corruption, which fedinto growing public discontent. "Tigray has handed over its heavy weapons as part of its commitment to implement the Pretoria agreement", signed on November eventually led an alliance of militia organizations, the Ethiopian People'sRevolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), that overthrew the Soviet Union-backed regime in 1991. [109][266] Hopes that these talks could definitively stop the war, however, remained low, as fighting did not appear to slow down, and Ethiopia vocalized their distrust about the peace process. Yabsira Eshetie, the administrator of the area, denied the claims. The Tigray War has been the subject of numerous reactions and protests worldwide. Ethiopia's military on Thursday baselessly accused Tedros of backing the rebels. [370], The Ethiopian government tried to control the information environment by positioning itself as the sole provider of reliable information. The Ethiopian forces are quite clearly winning the war against the TPLF despite the US imposing, on the East African nation. The Ethiopian army announced that it had thwarted an attempt by elements allied with Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) to infiltrate Sudan's territory to the GERD site to disrupt its construction. [261] By 22 October, ENDF and EDF-allied forces had also captured Adwa and Axum, even as peace talks with the TPLF were about to commence in South Africa. But. [346][347] All parties to the conflict have been accused by USAID of looting aid shipments. January to June 2021. Only 16% of the health facilities had vaccination services and only 17% had maternal services (antenatal care, birth delivery, etc.). [359], In September 2021, the humanitarian situation continued to worsen in Tigray, Afar and Amhara Regions, due both to the armed conflict itself and due to bureaucratic obstruction. "[382] Many journalists, both local and international, have noted the difficulty they face with trying to report on the war, as they risk the possibility of getting either killed or imprisoned by government forces. No one talks about the cruel tyranny of the TPLF that existed in Tigray long before this war began. The Sudanese army regained control over more than 90 percent of its territory, including the al-Fashqa area, which was occupied by Ethiopia, prompting the latter to accuse it of exploiting the domestic situation to attack its lands. the murder of saudi journalist and regime critic jamal khashoggi in the saudi consulate in turkey in october 2018, almost certainly at the orders of crown prince mohammed bin salman (mbs), caused an international uproar, and sharpened attention on the saudi role in the war in yemen, and on the impact of the war on civilians- including creating DW has confirmed that at least two officials of the interim administration were dismissed over comments on the presence of Eritrean troops in Tigray. [305], On 4 June 2021, the non-profit Genocide Watch classified the events in Tigray as step 9 of genocide (eradication), as well as step 10 (denial). But what does the world think of Obama? [210][211] Authorities in Addis Ababa also told residents to register their weapons in order to fend off the anticipated offensive. [66], All sides, particularly the ENDF, EDF, and TDF, have committed war crimes during the conflict. [144] On 14 November, Tigray forces launched rockets at the Eritrean capital of Asmara, but the missiles missed. The government has responded to the rebellion with a counterinsurgency offensive. , Ethiopia has managed to decimate the US-backed Tigray fighters with relentless aerial bombardment. Last November, as . There was no immediate WHO comment on the allegation against Tedros, who is Ethiopian of Tigrayan ethnicity. Two years after Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, his country is engulfed in a war with the potential to destabilize the whole region for decades to come, says DW's Ludger Schadomsky. Since our previous Tigray conflict article in February, the war in Ethiopia's Tigray state has undergone a major shift. The aftermath of an airstrike in Mekele, capital of the Tigray region of northern . Last month, Abiy, a former soldier, returned to the front lines to direct the fight against the Tigray rebels, who had dominated the federal government before he took office. , , Fri Nov 20, 2020 12:00 AM Last update on: Fri Nov 20, 2020 01:51 AM, EU interested to send polls observers for next election: Charles Whiteley, Ukraine's interior minister among 18 dead in helicopter crash, Ressas acquittal raps a win for free, defiant journalism, Outgoing Juventus Chairman Andrea Agnelli to quit board roles at Stellantis, Exor, Philippine Nobel laureate Maria Ressa acquitted of tax evasion, AL's lies became clear through US embassy's statement: Fakhrul, Over 3,500 Rohingyas attempted deadly sea crossings in 2022: UNHCR, Need dedicated hospital for children in every division: PM, Road blocked, vehicles vandalised over custodial death in Gazipur, Moderate to mild cold wave likely to continue, If there're errors in textbooks, they'll be corrected: Dipu Moni, , , . 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