Ethiopia: Tigrayan rebels claim to have entered the town of Kombolcha

People walk by the side of the road on the outskirts of the town of Dessie, Ethiopia, December 13, 2020. (Photo illustration) AFP - EDUARDO SOTERAS

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1 min

In Ethiopia, the Tigrayan rebels seem to continue their advance in the Amhara region.

Fighting continues in the town of Dessie and its surroundings.

The Tigrayan rebels entered the city of 200,000 inhabitants on Saturday, but are not yet in full control.

In the process, they also entered the large neighboring town, Kombolcha.

Their rapid progress over the past three days is worrying in Addis Ababa. 

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With our correspondent in Addis Ababa,

The military situation remains unclear in this region of Wollo, located 400 km north of Addis Ababa.

If we know that the Tigrayan rebels have entered the two main regional towns, Dessie and Kombolcha, it is difficult to know if they control them completely, especially because of the cut in telecommunications.

It is also difficult to estimate the strike force of the federal army, which was responsible for launching a counter-offensive.

What looks more and more like a coup by force of the Tigrayan rebels, could clear the way a little more for them towards the south and therefore towards Addis Ababa.

Some Tigrayan leaders make the capital their military target, but a well-informed source assures us that other TPLF members are looking east.

They would rather seek to cut the road which connects Addis Ababa to Djibouti to end the blockade of Tigray.

In their progress, the Tigrayan rebels could be helped by another insurgency, which has become its ally.

The Oromo Liberation Army claims to have conquered a town about fifty kilometers south of Dessie.

Location of Kombolcha, Ethiopia.

© RFI

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