Ethiopia: uncertainty looms after the start of the Battle of Mekele

The capital of Ethiopia's Tigray province, Mekele, January 25, 2018. (Photo illustration) Wikimedia Commons Copyleft A. Savin

Text by: RFI Follow

3 min

On Thursday, November 26, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched hostilities on Mekele, the provincial capital of Tigray, which he wants to take back from the TPLF.

24 hours later, impossible to know more because the province is still subject to a telecommunications blockade.

We do not know the progress of the fighting which threatens the 500,000 inhabitants of Mekele.

Publicity

Read more

With our correspondent in Addis Ababa,

There is still so little information filtering from Tigray in the early hours of Friday, November 27.

Some sources report fighting in the town of Wukro 40 kilometers north of Mekele.

Once again, this information cannot be verified in real time, because Tigray is under a military blockade but also under a telecommunications blockade.

This is the reason why the sources contacted in Mekele are still silent at this time.

► Also to listen: Offensive in Ethiopia: "For the populations, there is no way to escape from Mekele"

"No mercy," announced a military spokesman

On Thursday,

assured that despite the imminent assault on the city, the federal forces would take care of the civilian populations.

Populations to whom he however asked to stay at home, to avoid exposing themselves to bombardments.

" 

 " in the battle of Mekele, assured a military spokesman.

Joe Biden's future national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, has expressed concern about possible war crimes coming to the city.

Concern shared by the European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarcic, who met the Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister in Brussels. 

Thursday, in Paris, a meeting took place between the Ethiopian government and Emmanuel Macron, who would support the government operation, according to the statements of the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Élysée has not yet communicated on this meeting.

On the other hand, the French Foreign Ministry said that Jean-Yves Le Drian received Thursday Demeke Mekonnen, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia.

The opportunity to express France's deep concern at the escalation of violence in Tigray and the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Ethiopia and Sudan.

The French minister reiterated his condemnation of ethnic violence and reiterated Paris' demand for the establishment, as soon as possible, of measures to protect civilians.

He finally expressed France's support for the initiative of the presidency of the African Union with a view to seeking a political exit from the crisis.

Newsletter

Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_FR

• Ethiopia

• Abiy Ahmed