Ethiopia: TPLF rebels claim to have taken strategic town of Dessie
Fatuma Hussein, 65, sits in her shelter with her family in a camp for internally displaced people due to fighting between the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Tigray forces (TPLF) in the city of Dessie, Amhara region, Ethiopia, on October 8, 2021. REUTERS - TIKSA NEGERI
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
In Ethiopia, the Tigrayan rebels of the TPLF claim to have invested the town of Dessie, in the Amhara region, close to Tigray.
A major war prize.
After two weeks of fighting in the area, the national army retreated and Tigray forces entered the city.
They take a step closer to Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, which is 400 km further south, an announced target of the TPLF.
The Ethiopian government denies the capture of Dessie.
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With our correspondent in Addis Ababa
,
Noé Hochet-Bodin
In the war between him and the government of Abiy Ahmed, it would be one more bolt that the rebel forces in Tigray would have blown up.
Dessie is not only strategic by its size, but also by its geographical location, located on the main road between Tigray and Addis Ababa.
For two days, the fighting had drawn closer to the northern suburbs of the city, where the Tigrayan rebel forces had positioned their artillery batteries.
On the night of Friday to Saturday, October 30, the soldiers of the federal army withdrew from Dessie, according to residents, leaving it to the militiamen to defend the city.
Without access for journalists, it is difficult to know the situation in real time in Dessie.
It is therefore impossible to know if the whole city has come under the control of the Tigrayan rebels.
In Addis Ababa, the government refuses to recognize Dessie's fall.
The city is still under our control ensures a spokesperson.
But in the streets of Addis Ababa, some residents are worried about the advance of the Tigrayan rebels, fearing that the capture of Dessie will open a boulevard to the capital.
Washington calls on TPLF rebels to "stop their advances"
The United States has condemned the advance of the Tigrayan rebels and demands that they withdraw from the territories conquered in the Amhara and Afar regions.
"
The United States is gravely concerned about the expansion of fighting in northern Ethiopia,
" State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.
"
We reiterate our call to the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) to withdraw from the regions of Amhara and Afar, and to stop its advances around the towns of Dessie and Kombolcha
", continued Ned Price, in "
Urging the TPLF not to use artillery against the towns
".
We are gravely concerned by the expansion of combat operations to Amhara and Afar regions of Ethiopia.
The fighting must cease, and we call on all parties to allow unhindered humanitarian aid to reach Tigray, Amhara, and Afar regions.
https://t.co/nqAhoykFpL
- Ned Price (@StateDeptSpox) October 30, 2021
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Ethiopia
Abiy Ahmed