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The Ethiopian government of Nobel Peace Prize Abiy is using force against apostates in the Tigray region. According to official data, 500 “extremists” were killed. At the same time, tens of thousands of people are on the run.
Apparently hundreds of people died during an ongoing military offensive by the Ethiopian government against the ruling party in the Tigray region. State broadcaster Fana quoted a senior military official as saying 500 members of the “extremist group” were killed. This information cannot be independently verified because Tigray is currently largely cut off from the outside world.
Ethiopian Defense Minister Kenea Yadeta reiterated that the offensive in Tigray was not a civil war but a “law enforcement measure”. The Ethiopian Red Cross reported attacks on three ambulances on the country’s social media and called for compliance with international standards. The Red Cross left behind those behind the attacks.
Sudan closes its borders with neighboring countries
According to Sudan authorities, the fighting in Ethiopia has prompted many people to flee to the neighboring country. “Thousands of Ethiopian refugees have arrived, including families with women and children, and some armed fighters,” said Fatah al-Rahman al-Amin, a senior official in the Sudanese state of Kassala. As a result, Kassala and the state of Al-Qadarif closed their borders with Ethiopia.
The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, confirmed this information in the evening and spoke of some 7,000 men, women and children who had fled Tigray. “With thousands of refugees arriving at the Sudanese border within 24 hours and a conflict that appears to be on the rise, the number is likely to increase dramatically,” UNHCR said in a statement.
The UN organization was also extremely concerned about the plight of the 96,000 refugees living in four Ethiopian camps and the 100,000 people from the Tigray region who had already been displaced at the start of the offensive. “The roads are blocked and electricity, telephone connections and the Internet are cut off, making communication almost impossible; there is a shortage of gasoline and banking operations are running out, which is a shortage of cash.”
Humanitarian organizations warn of a humanitarian crisis
The Ethiopian government in Addis Ababa launched an offensive against the rebel group and the ruling party of Tigray a week ago, after months of tension between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). Humanitarian organizations warn of a humanitarian crisis following the offensive.
The TPLF was the dominant party in the coalition that ruled Ethiopia with a hard hand for more than 25 years. That changed when Abiy Ahmed came to power in 2018: the prime minister initiated reforms, removed old guard officials and founded a new party that the TPLF, previously represented in the coalition, did not join.
The TPLF and many people in Tigray do not feel represented by the central government and would like more autonomy. Under Abiy – who received the Nobel Peace Prize last year – ethnic tensions and conflicts have increased in the multi-ethnic state of Ethiopia with its approximately 112 million inhabitants. Analysts already warn of a conflict that could destabilize the region.
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