Ethiopian forces announce control of 3 cities in Tigray
Displaced people from Tigray province receive food aid.
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Yesterday, the Ethiopian government announced that it had taken control of three cities in Tigray, confirming the capture of the main city of Shire, and indicated that it was preparing to provide humanitarian assistance and restore services and communications in these cities.
In a statement, the government said that the Ethiopian federal army "held the cities of Shire, Almata and Corim without civil battles."
The leadership of the rebel forces in this region in northern Ethiopia had previously announced that the Ethiopian and Eritrean forces had taken control of Shire.
So far, the command said, these forces have taken control of certain areas, including the Shire region, calling on "all qualified Tigrayans to defend desperately" the area.
She added that the joint forces entered the city, which has a population of about 100,000, on Monday.
The Shire region was the scene of an attack by Ethiopian and Eritrean forces, while heavy fighting erupted in Tigray, alarming the international community.
The news from the battlefield cannot be verified, because journalists are unable to reach northern Ethiopia, where communications networks are weak or non-existent.
On the other hand, the new United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Austrian Volker Türk, stressed the existence of a “great risk” of an escalation of the conflict in Ethiopia, saying, “I am deeply disturbed by the risk of a significant escalation, given the massive and continuous mobilization of soldiers and fighters by the various parties to the conflict.” .
Ravina Shamsdani, a spokeswoman for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, told reporters in Geneva: “What we have been able to document since August 31 is at least 31 civilians killed, including children, and 73 wounded in 14 separate air strikes by the Ethiopian Air Force in the Tigray region. , especially in Mikkeli, Shire and other parts of Tigray.”
"But certainly, it is very possible that the real number is much higher," she added.
Volker Türk reminded that "under international law, indiscriminate attacks or attacks that intentionally target civilians or civilian objects constitute war crimes."
On Monday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the situation in Ethiopia was "getting out of control" as fighting intensified.
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