Separatist region of Tigray: Ethiopia begins military offensive

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy had already announced the offensive. Now the military has launched an attack on the city of Mekele in the Tigray region. Development workers report “heavy bullets”.

The Ethiopian army has begun the military offensive on the regional capital Mekele of the breakaway region of Tigray. The region’s television station reported on the bombing of Mekele on Saturday afternoon.

According to development officials, the city was hit by “heavy bullets”. The regional government announced on local television that the city center was attacked with “heavy weapons and artillery”. Targets also included civilians and infrastructure.

The Tigray region called on “all those with a clear conscience, including the international community, to condemn the attacks and massacres with artillery and combat aircraft,” the regional government said.

Human rights activists warn of war crimes

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had already announced the offensive on Thursday in the Twitter short message service. He said he would initiate “the third and final phase” in the repression of the TPLF People’s Liberation Front, which ruled Tigray. Abiy wants to overthrow the TPLF and arrest its leader.

In the attack “everything is done” to protect the civilian population and to save Mekele with its 500,000 inhabitants from “serious damage”, added Abiy.

Human rights organizations had warned that the bombing of Mekele could constitute a war crime. The Human Rights Watch organization made it clear that warnings by the Ethiopian military to the civilian population alone would not be enough. This is especially true when air forces and heavy weapons are used in urban areas.

Already hundreds of dead

The conflict in Tigray has been going on for months. The TPLF ruling dominated Ethiopian politics for three decades before current Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy came to power in 2018. The TPLF does not recognize Abiy.

Abiy sent armed forces to Tigray earlier this month, which eventually broke out conflict with the TPLF. Calls by international politicians to stop the fighting and allow a mediator in the conflict, Abiy had always rejected.

Observers fear that the fighting could enlarge and destabilize the entire region. Hundreds of people have been killed in the fighting in Ethiopia so far. So far, more than 40,000 have fled the conflict area. The UN has asked for help for refugees from Tigray. Donations are urgently needed to support the tens of thousands of refugees.