Ethiopian troops and their allies are waging air and ground strikes against Tigray rebels in the northern region of Amhara, humanitarian and rebel sources told reporters.
The bombardments hit several areas of Amhara on Thursday and Friday, the humanitarian sources said, amid growing speculation of a major push by government forces against the rebels.
There is a “massive move” against the rebels, said Getachew Reda, spokesman for the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which has been locked in a brutal conflict with pro-government forces in northern Ethiopia for almost 11 months.
The reports come just days after Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was sworn in for a new term on Monday, vowing to stand strong and defend “Ethiopia’s honor,” despite mounting international criticism of the conflict and alarm about the humanitarian crisis it has triggered.
Getachew said there had been “mostly air, drone and artillery bombardment” of TPLF rebels, and reported a major troop buildup, saying “tens of thousands are amassed” in northern parts of Amhara, including the North Gondar and North Wollo zones.
“We are confident we will thwart the offensive in all fronts and more,” he said. “We will stand our ground until the siege is lifted.”
Representatives from Amhara, as well as federal and military officials, did not respond to requests for comment about the reported military operations.
The war erupted in November last year when Abiy sent troops into Tigray to topple the TPLF, the regional ruling party and former national rulers, a move he said came in response to rebel attacks on federal army camps.
Although government forces quickly took control of Tigray’s cities and towns, the TPLF recaptured most of the region, including its capital, Mekele, by late June.
Fighting has since spread to Amhara and Afar regions, and caused what the UN has called an “immense humanitarian crisis,” with hundreds of thousands of people driven into famine-like conditions.
An untold number of civilians have been killed, nearly 2 million have been displaced, and there have been many reports of atrocities including massacres and mass rape.
There has been speculation that the fighting could pick up now that the rainy season is ending, and with mass mobilization throughout the country and in Amhara in particular.
On Thursday, the spokesman for the Amhara region wrote on Twitter: “Since an operation to free our people who are in trouble because of the terrorist TPLF could be conducted at any time, in all fronts, we all have to be vigilant 24 hours a day.”
Awet Weldemichael, a Horn of Africa security expert at Queen’s University in Canada, said earlier this week that Abiy’s new government would have to grapple with what he called “a trifecta of crises” — the war itself, and its humanitarian and economic fallout.
“The upcoming wave of fighting and worsening humanitarian conditions are a further hit on his international standing and a test to his new government from day one,” Weldemichael told reporters.
Abiy’s government last week expelled seven UN officials from Ethiopia for “meddling” in its affairs, exacerbating concerns about the aid response in Tigray.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who has said that more than 5 million people in te region were in need of humanitarian assistance, on Wednesday urged the Ethiopian authorities to allow the UN to deliver aid “without hindrance.”
Tigray is under a de facto blockade that is preventing most aid getting in.
Ethiopian officials blame the rebels for obstructing deliveries, but the US Department of State last month told reporters that access to essential supplies and services was being denied by the Ethiopian government.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has in the past few days warned that a lack of medical supplies was also having fatal consequences in Tigray, and reported alarming levels of malnutrition among children and pregnant women.
Kehinde Sanni spends his days smoothing out dents and repainting scratched bumpers in a modest autobody shop in Lagos. He has never left Nigeria, yet he speaks glowingly of Burkina Faso military leader Ibrahim Traore. “Nigeria needs someone like Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso. He is doing well for his country,” Sanni said. His admiration is shaped by a steady stream of viral videos, memes and social media posts — many misleading or outright false — portraying Traore as a fearless reformer who defied Western powers and reclaimed his country’s dignity. The Burkinabe strongman swept into power following a coup in September 2022
‘FRAGMENTING’: British politics have for a long time been dominated by the Labor Party and the Tories, but polls suggest that Reform now poses a significant challenge Hard-right upstarts Reform UK snatched a parliamentary seat from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labor Party yesterday in local elections that dealt a blow to the UK’s two establishment parties. Reform, led by anti-immigrant firebrand Nigel Farage, won the by-election in Runcorn and Helsby in northwest England by just six votes, as it picked up gains in other localities, including one mayoralty. The group’s strong showing continues momentum it built up at last year’s general election and appears to confirm a trend that the UK is entering an era of multi-party politics. “For the movement, for the party it’s a very, very big
ENTERTAINMENT: Rio officials have a history of organizing massive concerts on Copacabana Beach, with Madonna’s show drawing about 1.6 million fans last year Lady Gaga on Saturday night gave a free concert in front of 2 million fans who poured onto Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro for the biggest show of her career. “Tonight, we’re making history... Thank you for making history with me,” Lady Gaga told a screaming crowd. The Mother Monster, as she is known, started the show at about 10:10pm local time with her 2011 song Bloody Mary. Cries of joy rose from the tightly packed fans who sang and danced shoulder-to-shoulder on the vast stretch of sand. Concert organizers said 2.1 million people attended the show. Lady Gaga
SUPPORT: The Australian prime minister promised to back Kyiv against Russia’s invasion, saying: ‘That’s my government’s position. It was yesterday. It still is’ Left-leaning Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese yesterday basked in his landslide election win, promising a “disciplined, orderly” government to confront cost-of-living pain and tariff turmoil. People clapped as the 62-year-old and his fiancee, Jodie Haydon, who visited his old inner Sydney haunt, Cafe Italia, surrounded by a crowd of jostling photographers and journalists. Albanese’s Labor Party is on course to win at least 83 seats in the 150-member parliament, partial results showed. Opposition leader Peter Dutton’s conservative Liberal-National coalition had just 38 seats, and other parties 12. Another 17 seats were still in doubt. “We will be a disciplined, orderly
RSS