Government forces and their allies in Ethiopia say they have taken control of a strategic town in the conflict-hit northern Tigray region after days of fighting with rebel forces on several fronts.
The Tigray Peace Force, an armed group made up of Tigrayan fighters aligned with the federal government, said in a statement on Facebook that it had captured the city of Alamata with the national army.
Recommended Stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
Fighting intensified in northern Ethiopia last week amid renewed hostilities between the federal government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and its allies, shattering the fragile Pretoria Accord, a peace agreement signed in November 2022.
In previous fighting from 2020 to 2022, hundreds of thousands of people were killed and millions displaced.
Here’s what you need to know about the latest developments:
What’s the latest fight news?
On Monday, the Tigray Peace Force said its fighters had captured Alamata, a strategic town about 120 km (75 miles) south of Tigray’s capital, Mekelle. A video verified by the Reuters news agency showed soldiers marching through Alamata waving Ethiopian flags.
Two diplomatic sources also told Reuters the city had fallen while a source linked to opposition forces said they were withdrawing.
The latest fighting erupted last week when Tigrayan rebel forces launched a major offensive, seizing three airports in Tigray and pushing into the neighboring regions of Afar and Amhara. The TPLF claims to be waging a “defensive war,” accusing federal forces of attacks using drones and heavy artillery.
Federal government forces and their allies have since counterattacked.
The headquarters of Tigrai TV, considered the main media outlet for rebel authorities in Mekelle, was hit by a drone on Sunday.
Where are the fights taking place?
Fighting took place on several fronts in northern Ethiopia, extending into Tigray, Amhara and Afar.
Alamata is particularly important because it is near Tigray’s southern border with Amhara and serves as a supply hub for troops, fuel and food. Its capture could allow federal forces to push north towards Mekelle.
A military source told Al Jazeera that government forces had already advanced and were heading towards or surrounding the Tigrayan capital.
Meanwhile, TPLF forces captured Erebti, a strategically important town in the Afar region, over the weekend, according to an Ethiopian commander who spoke to the Associated Press news agency on condition of anonymity.
The Tigray Peace Force also acknowledged that Erebti had fallen to the TPLF, but disputed reports that the takeover followed intense fighting, according to AP.
The offensive in Afar could threaten supply routes from Djibouti, through which most Ethiopian imports, including fuel, pass.
The fighting in Afar also comes amid allegations of direct Eritrean involvement. Al Jazeera’s Taha Tawakul, reporting from Afar, said its governor told Al Jazeera that Eritrean forces were taking part in the fighting, controlling more than two-thirds of the region and preparing to cut the road linking Djibouti to Eritrea.
“So the situation is extremely dangerous and perhaps in the next few hours the federal government will intervene alongside the Afar regional government,” Tawakul reported.
The Eritrean government has yet to respond to the governor’s allegations.
Fighting has also spread to Amhara, particularly around northern Wollo. The Ethiopian military said around 270 Tigrayan fighters were killed there and more than 200 injured.
What is the humanitarian situation on the ground?
The fighting has already had a devastating humanitarian toll.
Doctors Without Borders, also known by its French acronym MSF, said on Monday there had been an increase in the number of injuries in the north.
The number of patients in Korem and Alamata hospitals increased from around 180 to more than 420 in 48 hours. MSF said 300 injured people arrived at Suhul hospital last week.
Internet and telephone networks were also disrupted in Tigray.
Afar Pastoral Development Association co-founder Valerie Browning told AP that about 150,000 people had been displaced since the latest fighting began.
Who are the actors involved?
At the center of the conflict is Abiy’s government and the TPLF, which dominated Ethiopian politics for nearly three decades before Abiy came to power in 2018.
War broke out in November 2020 between the TPLF and federal forces.
The conflict, which lasted two years, had a devastating human toll. Former Nigerian president and African Union mediator Olusegun Obasanjo estimated that 600,000 people were killed, although other assessments give different tolls.
Days before the latest offensive, the TPLF joined six other armed groups to form the Ethiopian People’s Forces Alliance for Survival, which said it wanted to overthrow Abiy’s government and establish a transitional administration.
The coalition includes the Oromo Liberation Army and the Amhara Fano National Movement, bringing together groups that have fought before.
The conflict also risks drawing in Ethiopia’s neighbors. Ethiopian army chief Marshal Berhanu Jula accused Eritrea of supporting the opposition and said Sudan and Egypt were also providing support.
Eritrea and Sudan have denied the allegations. Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nader Zaki told Reuters its policy was based on “full respect for the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of states.”
In an article on
Gn headline
