The forces of the Tigray Liberation Front confirmed that their fight will "intensify" until all the "enemies" leave the area, hinting that the battles are continuing despite the ceasefire announced by the Ethiopian government, while 6 countries called for an urgent UN meeting to discuss developments, amid warnings of serious famine.

Two witnesses told Reuters that Tigray forces entered the important town of Shire in northern Ethiopia on Tuesday, consolidating their previous territorial gains in northern Tigray region, while the Ethiopian army and allied forces withdrew.

"Everyone welcomes them and celebrates, now there are many (members of the Tigray forces) and most of them are wearing military uniforms," ​​a resident told Reuters.

The two witnesses refused to reveal their names for fear of reprisals.

A video clip recorded by a resident in the northern town of Shire showed similar scenes and said Eritrean forces allied with the government had withdrawn.

"We have taken control of 100% of Mekele," Getachew Reda, a spokesman for the Tigray People's Liberation Front, told Reuters on Tuesday.

"Our forces are still engaged in a hot pursuit in the south and east, and will continue until they cleanse every inch of land from the enemy," he added.

He added that relief organizations would be allowed to enter Tigray.

Thousands killed

The fighting in the northern region of Ethiopia has killed thousands, displaced nearly two million people and put hundreds of thousands on the brink of starvation.

A ceasefire was declared on Monday evening after forces loyal to these former authorities, emanating from the Tigray People's Liberation Front, entered the regional capital, Mekelle.

The Ethiopian army had taken control of the city on November 28, 2020, 3 weeks after Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched an offensive to expel the local government.

Abiy Ahmed, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 following the reconciliation with Eritrea, justified his launch of the "preservation of order" operation, by attacking forces loyal to the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) federal military bases.

Despite the victory announced after the fall of Mekele, the battles never stopped between the Tigray Defense Forces loyal to the Tigray People's Liberation Front and the Ethiopian Federal Army backed by the forces of the neighboring Amhara region and the army of Eritrea, the country on the border with Tigray.

turn

The entry of the Tigray Defense Forces into Mekele, from which the army fled during the day, marks a turning point in this conflict that has been going on for nearly 8 months.

As residents celebrated the news in the streets, Abi Ahmed's government announced on Monday evening a "unilateral ceasefire."

In a statement published at night, the former Tigray government welcomed the progress made by the Tigray Defense Forces and confirmed that the entirety of Mekele was under its control.

And the International Crisis Group considered, on Tuesday, that the Tigray Defense Forces "currently control the greater part of the region, including the large cities."

humanitarian disaster

The conflict in Tigray was characterized by many violations against civilians (massacres, rapes and displacement of people), which drew condemnation from the international community.

According to the United Nations, at least 350,000 people suffer from starvation in the region, which the Ethiopian government is protesting against.

On Tuesday, the World Health Organization reiterated its concern about the possible outbreaks of cholera, measles, yellow fever and malaria.

"With barely functioning hospitals, displaced people and looming famine, the risk of disease outbreaks (...) is very real," said WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic.

The Acting US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs spoke of the possibility of a catastrophic famine in Ethiopia, and said that the continuation of the conflict destabilizes the Horn of Africa, and endangers the unity of the people of Ethiopia and its lands.

He stressed that all parties in Ethiopia must abide by the ceasefire, stressing that all parties in Ethiopia are involved in violating human rights.

urgent meeting

For its part, 6 countries requested an emergency general meeting of the UN Security Council, which may be held on Friday.

Diplomatic sources at the United Nations said that the delegations of the United States, Britain, France, Ireland, Norway and Estonia to the United Nations called late Monday for an open meeting of the Security Council this week on Tigray.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, considered the recent events in Tigray, Ethiopia, very worrying.

Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for the Secretary-General, said that these events "demonstrate once again that there is no military solution to the crisis."