Rebels of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) announced today that dozens of people in a refugee camp were killed by a drone strike in northern Ethiopia, which is torn apart by the conflict.
Getatsiu Renta, a spokesman for the TPLF, wrote on Twitter that the attack on the camp in the small town of Dendebit, in northwestern Tigray, “has so far cost the lives of 56 innocent civilians”.
Renta’s allegations have not been confirmed by an independent source, and Ethiopian government officials have not responded to AFP requests for comment. Access to Tigray is limited and telecommunications remain down.
However, an official at the central hospital in Meckele, the capital of Tigray, said the hospital in the city of Sire, where the victims were taken, had said 55 people had died and 126 had been injured.
Getatsiu did not specify when the attack took place.
The war in Ethiopia broke out in November 2020 when Ethiopian Prime Minister Abi Ahmed sent troops to Tigray to oust the local authorities, who belonged to the TPLF, and defied his authority, accusing them of attacking military bases.
Abby announced the army victory three weeks later, following the capture of the regional capital of Mecca. But in June the TPLF recaptured most of Tigray and continued its offensive in the neighboring provinces of Amhara and Afar, occupying strategically important cities. In December, however, the federal army repulsed the rebels, who were again confined to Tigray.
Clashes have escalated since the TPLF withdrew from those provinces, although rebels have accused the government of continuing to carry out deadly drone strikes in Tigray.
The United Nations said this week that three Eritrean refugees, including two children, were killed Wednesday in an airstrike on a refugee camp in My Ainh, Tigray.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grady said after the attack that refugees “should never be a target”.
“As UNHCR continues to gather and confirm the details of these events, I reiterate its call to all parties to the conflict to respect the rights of all citizens, including refugees,” he said.
The UN complains that a de facto blockade has been imposed on Tigray, preventing access to basic necessities for the province’s six million inhabitants. According to the same source, 400,000 people are suffering from conditions approaching famine.
Amnesty for members of the opposition
Meanwhile, several members of the opposition in Ethiopia were released today, including members of Tigray’s party, following an unexpected amnesty announced by the government on Friday.
The sudden announcement of the amnesty was made after the call for “national reconciliation” made by Abi on the occasion of the Orthodox Christmas celebration based on the old calendar.
The aim of the amnesty is “to pave the way for a sustainable solution to Ethiopia’s problems,” the government said.
“The key to sustainable unity is dialogue,” the statement added, citing the names of many opposition leaders and key members of the TPLF.
The amnesty was welcomed by the UN and the African Union.
Among those granted amnesty are leaders of the opposition Oromo tribe, the largest in Ethiopia, and the Amhara tribe.
The number of detainees released has not yet been announced. It is unclear at this time whether the Ethiopian government proposed negotiations with the TPLF, which ruled the country for three decades until Abby’s 2018 election.
SOURCE: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ
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Source From: Capital
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