Al Jazeera was able to obtain pictures from the fighting fronts in northern Ethiopia, after months of conflict between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray Liberation Front fighters, amid African and international calls to stop the fighting and hold a comprehensive national dialogue.
These images, taken two days ago, show Tigray fighters streaming through the mountain range between Amhara and Tigray regions, and withdrawing towards the far north after battles with government forces on the borders of Amhara region.
Other photos also document scenes from the Tigrayan armed men's arrest of hundreds of government and anti-government forces, early this month, in the city of Kambolcha, Amhara state, and document scenes of a camp for Tigrayan forces that re-positioned in the past few days in the Amhara region.
No media outlet was able to reach the areas of confrontation and transfer the image from there, due to the interruption of communications and the intensification of battles between hit and run.
Threat removal
For its part, the Ethiopian Federal Army confirmed that it was able to remove the military threat from the vicinity of the capital, Addis Ababa, and strategic roads.
Military confrontations continue on a number of fronts in the governorates of Amhara region between government forces and the Tigray Front militants, which resulted in the disruption of the Samra city airport, while local officials in the region demanded a halt to the war and a move to negotiations.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called on the Tigray Liberation Front to surrender, considering that its only option after the military defeat it had suffered, as he put it.
Abi Ahmed pledge
In a new video broadcast by state television, Abi Ahmed pledged to repeat what he described as the victories achieved in the east and west of the country.
He said, "The victories that occurred in the east and west of the country will be repeated in other regions. The morale of the army is very high, and more towns occupied by the invading terrorists will be liberated. The enemy has been defeated and dispersed.. The only option left for them is to surrender. We call on the citizens in the liberated areas to Accelerate the formation of administrations. Let us hand over a sovereign state to future generations."
In the same context, the Ethiopian military commander in the town of Shawarbet Ngosi Talahun said in a statement to Al Jazeera that the government forces have tightened their full control over the Showa governorate, adjacent to the capital from the north, explaining that the federal army is currently advancing towards towns deep in the Amhara region.
In the first official comment, the Tigray Front described its withdrawal from those areas as tactical aimed at carrying out decisive strategic attacks, and said that the battle was about to end, and that no one could push its fighters back.
human tragedy
On the humanitarian side, Martin Griffiths, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, warned that the development of the conflict in Ethiopia into sectarian violence could lead to displacement reminiscent of the scenes of chaos at Kabul Airport last August.
Griffiths said in an interview with Agence France-Presse that the worst is the arrival of the battles to Addis Ababa, which may lead to an increase in sectarian violence throughout the country.
Today, Friday, the United Nations and the African Union called for an urgent ceasefire in Ethiopia and a comprehensive national dialogue to maintain peace in the country.
This came in a joint statement by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki.
The statement called for "an urgent ceasefire in Ethiopia, ensuring safe and unhindered humanitarian access to civilians, and protecting human rights."
The statement also stressed "the importance of conducting a comprehensive and genuine national dialogue to maintain peace, stability, democracy, good governance and reconciliation in Ethiopia."