Ethiopia’s Army Launches Offensive on All Fronts Against Tigray Forces

Ethiopia

NAIROBI (Somaliguardian) – Ethiopia’s army on Monday launched co-ordinated offensive on all fronts against forces from the northern region of Tigray, following days of intense air strikes and artillery bombardment.

A spokesman for the Tigray People’s Liberation Party (TPLF), the party whose forces have been battling government troops and their allies in the northern region since November of last year, told Reuters news agency that the Ethiopian army had launched a new offensive on Monday to push Tigrayan forces out of Amhara.

The government was using artillery, tanks, jets and drones in an attempt to “reinvade” Tigray region, Tigrayan rebels said, adding that they were holding their ground.

The Ethiopian government has not confirmed any fighting, with communications blackout making independent verification impossible.

Asked if a ground offensive had been launched, Billene Seyoum, a spokeswoman for Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed, said the Ethiopian government had a responsibility to protect its citizens in all parts of the country from any acts of terrorism but gave no further details.

Ethiopia’s 11-month conflict has unleashed humanitarian crisis, with the United Nations warning that about 400,000 people were living in famine-like conditions in Tigray in July. Thousands of people have been killed in the conflict and more than two million have been forced to flee their neighborhoods.

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