Ethiopia .. hundreds of deaths in the escalating conflict in Tigray

Addis Ababa - Reuters

Sources on the government side said that the escalating conflict in the troubled Tigray region in Ethiopia has caused hundreds of deaths, despite Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's efforts to reassure the world, today, Monday, that his country is not heading towards a civil war.

Escalation in the northern region bordering Eritrea and Sudan threatens to destabilize Africa's second most populous country, where ethnic conflict has already killed hundreds since Abiy took power in 2018.

Reuters correspondents saw, while traveling in Tigray and the neighboring Amhara region, trucks loaded with armed militias and pickup trucks mounted with automatic cannons were heading quickly to the front line to support the federal government's offensive.

Some militia members waved the Ethiopian flag.

My father, 44, who is the youngest leader in Africa, won the Nobel Peace Prize because of the democratic reforms he adopted after years under a repressive regime, and because of a peace agreement with Eritrea after a war between the two countries that killed tens of thousands.

Abi launched a military campaign last week in the region, and said that forces loyal to the leaders there attacked a military base and tried to steal some equipment.

Abe accuses leaders in Tigray of undermining his democratic reforms.

My father wrote in a "tweet" on "Twitter" today, Monday, "Fears that Ethiopia will slide into chaos are unfounded, and are the product of a deep lack of understanding of how we are going."

"The rule of law process aims to ensure peace and stability," he added.

My father stated that the planes bombed weapons depots and other targets.

Aid workers and security sources reported intense fighting on the ground.

A military official in the neighboring Amhara region told Reuters that the clashes in the Kerakir region resulted in the deaths of about 500 Tigrayans, while three other security sources said the Ethiopian army lost hundreds in the original battle in Dansha.

Reuters was unable to verify the numbers, although a diplomat also said there were fears of hundreds of deaths.

The Tigray People's Liberation Front, which rules the region, is well-versed in the fighting from the 1998-2000 war with Eritrea and the guerrilla war to topple Mengistu Haile Maryam in 1991. Experts say that the front's fighters and allied militias are estimated to be up to 250,000 men and possess huge quantities of equipment. Military.

Tigray leaders say Abe, one of the largest Oromo ethnic groups in Ethiopia, has unfairly targeted them as part of a crackdown on human rights violations and corruption in the past.

"These fascists have shown that they will ruthlessly destroy the people of Tigray, by launching more than 10 air strikes in the cities of the Tigray region," the front said on Facebook.

The military said it was stepping up its attacks and that a large number of Tigrayans' Special Forces and militia had surrendered.

He denied the TPLF claim that a plane had been shot down.

The army spokesman did not return phone calls for further comment.

Amid growing international concern, the TPLF sought the mediation of the African Union, according to a letter seen by Reuters.

The United Nations wants my father, a former soldier who fought on the side of Tigray against Eritrea, to start a dialogue with the region.

An all-out war would damage the economy after years of steady growth in Ethiopia, which has an estimated population of 110 million.

It could also raise the number of displaced people in the past two years, which is estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands.

However, analysts do not believe that the clashes will revive the conflict with Eritrea again, given that President Isaias Afwerki and Abe consider the leadership of the Tigray region as enemies.

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