The government army in Ethiopia has launched a new offensive in the Tigray region, rebels in the area report. According to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), this is a large-scale, multi-front offensive, including artillery, fighter jets and drones. The Ethiopian government has not confirmed the offensive.
A spokesman for Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy told AP news agency only that “the Ethiopian government will continue to counteract the destruction, violence and killings in the Amhara region and elsewhere”. There is also little information about the situation in the region from Tigray, because the area is almost completely cut off from the outside world.
The new offensive would mean that the conflict in Ethiopia escalates again almost a year after it started. Last November, war broke out in Tigray between the Ethiopian government and the rebels. In the months that followed, the conflict also spread to other parts of the country. The Ethiopian government announced a ceasefire in June, but the country remained unsettled.
‘Genocidal War’
The rebel group TPLF is now explaining the renewed attack by the government forces as “Abiy’s last offensive to invade Tigray”. “Despite repeated calls from the international community and the Tigray government for a peaceful solution to the current crisis, the Ethiopian government has once again chosen to continue its genocidal war in Tigray.”
Thousands of people have been killed since the battle began and some two million have been displaced. Both government forces and Tigres rebels are accused of war crimes and both sides are sending mixed signals about a willingness to accept a peaceful solution.
The United Nations has long warned of an impending “unprecedented famine”. Last July, some 400,000 people were already suffering from hunger in the country, according to the UN, allegedly partly due to aid being held back. Abiy’s government denies that and earlier this month detained seven UN officials expelled because they would meddle in internal affairs.
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