International pressure mounted on Ethiopia’s warring parties to cease fighting and protect civilians in Tigray, where the army says it has encircled the area’s capital ahead of a threatened bombardment.
Forces loyal to Tigray’s ruling party have been battling Ethiopian soldiers in the northern region for nearly three weeks, sparking a refugee exodus, civilian atrocities and fears of broader instability in the Horn of Africa.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Sunday gave the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) 72 hours to surrender — an ultimatum rejected by the leader of the dissident region, who has said his people are “ready to die” for their homeland.
As the deadline loomed, the UN Security Council held its first meeting on the crisis, despite disagreement between European and African members over whether the closed-door discussion should take place.
Ahmed yesterday rejected the calls for dialogue and a halt to the fighting, saying that his country would handle the conflict on its own.
Ethiopia “appreciates the well-meaning concerns of our friends,” the statement from Ahmed’s office said.
However, “we reject any interference in our internal affairs, it said. “The international community should stand by until the government of Ethiopia submits its requests for assistance to the community of nations.”
“We respectfully urge the international community to refrain from any unwelcome and unlawful acts of interference,” it said.
Ethiopia’s army said that tanks were within 60km of the regional capital, Mekele, where it has promised a “no mercy” assault on TPLF forces.
“The highly aggressive rhetoric on both sides regarding the fight for Mekele is dangerously provocative, and risks placing already vulnerable and frightened civilians in grave danger,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said.
Amnesty International urged Ethiopia against using artillery and aerial bombings in Mekele, appealing for both sides to consider the city’s 500,000 inhabitants and the many more seeking refuge there from fighting elsewhere.
“Deliberately attacking civilians and civilian objects is prohibited under international humanitarian law, and constitutes war crimes,” said Deprose Muchena, head of Amnesty International’s east and southern Africa office.
The government said that “a large number of Tigray militia and special forces” had surrendered after Abiy’s 72-hour ultimatum.
The TPLF on Monday said that it had routed an army battalion and claimed responsibility for a rocket attack on Bahir Dar — the capital of Amhara region to the south of Tigray — where local forces are fighting alongside Ethiopian troops.
Tigray remains under a communications blackout and media access to the region has been restricted, making independent verification of claims from both sides difficult.
Abiy has resisted growing calls for mediation since ordering troops, tanks and warplanes into Tigray on Nov. 4 in response to what he said were attacks on federal military camps orchestrated by the TPLF.
The African Union, which is headquartered in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, has dispatched three former African presidents as special envoys to try to broker talks on the Tigray crisis.
An endangered baby pygmy hippopotamus that shot to social media stardom in Thailand has become a lucrative source of income for her home zoo, quadrupling its ticket sales, the institution said Thursday. Moo Deng, whose name in Thai means “bouncy pork,” has drawn tens of thousands of visitors to Khao Kheow Open Zoo this month. The two-month-old pygmy hippo went viral on TikTok and Instagram for her cheeky antics, inspiring merchandise, memes and even craft tutorials on how to make crocheted or cake-based Moo Dengs at home. A zoo spokesperson said that ticket sales from the start of September to Wednesday reached almost
TIGHTENING: Zhu Hengpeng, who worked for an influential think tank, has reportedly not been seen in public since making disparaging remarks on WeChat A leading Chinese economist at a government think tank has reportedly disappeared after being disciplined for criticizing Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in a private chat group. Zhu Hengpeng (朱恆鵬), 55, is believed to have made disparaging remarks about China’s economy, and potentially about the Chinese leader specifically, in a private WeChat group. Zhu was subsequently detained in April and put under investigation, the Wall Street Journal reported. Zhu worked for the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) for more than 20 years, most recently as the Institute of Economics deputy director and director of the Public Policy Research Center. He
CHINESE ICBM: The missile landed near the EEZ of French Polynesia, much to the surprise and concern of the president, who sent a letter of protest to Beijing Fijian President Ratu Wiliame Katonivere called for “respect for our region” and a stop to missile tests in the Pacific Ocean, after China launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). In a speech to the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, Katonivere recalled the Pacific Ocean’s history as a nuclear weapons testing ground, and noted Wednesday’s rare launch by China of an ICBM. “There was a unilateral test firing of a ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean. We urge respect for our region and call for cessation of such action,” he said. The ICBM, carrying a dummy warhead, was launched by the
As violence between Israel and Hezbollah escalates, Iran is walking a tightrope by supporting Hezbollah without being dragged into a full-blown conflict and playing into its enemy’s hands. With a focus on easing its isolation and reviving its battered economy, Iran is aware that war could complicate efforts to secure relief from crippling sanctions. Cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah, sparked by Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7 last year, has intensified, especially after last week’s sabotage on Hezbollah’s communications that killed 39 people. Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon followed, killing hundreds. Hezbollah retaliated with rocket barrages. Despite the surge in
RSS