Ethiopia: Abiy Ahmed seals war with secessionists

View of the town of Mekele, in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, December 10, 2018. Maggie Fick / Reuters

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2 min

The situation is rapidly deteriorating in Tigray province, in northern Ethiopia.

Government troops launched an offensive Wednesday, November 4 to regain control of the secessionist province.

Since then, all communications have been cut off in the north.

Difficult to assess the extent of the fighting.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed officially speaks of a war waged against the Tigrayan authorities.

Friday, November 6, during a televised address, he took a new step and assured to bomb the provincial capital, Mekele.

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With our correspondent in Addis Ababa,

Airstrikes were carried out in and around Mekele on Thursday 5 and Friday 6 November, and they will continue, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said.

, he says, to prevent the Tigrayan forces from using artillery pieces that they have stolen from the federal army. 

The Prime Minister assures him: civilian populations are not targeted.

To escape the bombardments, he asks residents to avoid mass gatherings.

It is not certain that his appeal will be heard.

Telecommunications are still blocked in Tigray.

► To read also: Conflict in Tigray: what are the forces involved?

No mediation possible between the two camps

These air raids show that the conflict has entered a new dimension.

Observers believe this war can be long and bloody.

Tigray is the most militarized province in the country, with 250,000 men ready to fight. 

Both sides have ignored all calls for calm so far, including those from the United Nations.

With this address, Abiy Ahmed sweeps aside mediation efforts for good and indicates that the continent's second country has officially gone to war with itself.

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• Ethiopia

• Abiy Ahmed

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