[ad_1]
Ethiopian forces have mounted a contemporary battle for the strategic northern metropolis of Dessie, residents have mentioned.
Ethiopian forces have mounted a contemporary battle for the strategic northern metropolis of Dessie, residents mentioned on Sunday, hours after Tigrayan rebels claimed to have taken management of it.
The seize of Dessie by the Tigray Individuals’s Liberation Entrance (TPLF) on Saturday marked a brand new step in its offensive within the practically year-long warfare, after it retook most of Tigray from federal forces in June and expanded its presence into neighbouring areas.
However on Sunday, locals mentioned renewed gun battles have been below method within the metropolis, with residents ordered to remain indoors by Ethiopian troops, who had returned to Dessie after reportedly retreating a day earlier.
“Troopers instructed us they’re combating to take town once more… and instructed us nobody ought to exit,” mentioned Mohammed, a Dessie resident who declined to provide his second identify.
Desta, a former waiter in Dessie and gave solely his first identify, mentioned he noticed troopers combating within the streets.
READ | UN studies ‘unprecedented’ malnutrition in Tigray
“They’re firing however I needed to shut my window… to not get noticed”, he instructed AFP.
One other resident Yemesirach, holed up indoors, mentioned she may additionally hear gunfire, telling AFP she was “at dwelling and scared”.
An announcement from the Ethiopian army communications workplace on Sunday mentioned: “The armed forces on the entrance will proceed to clear the group of terrorists.”
“They’re combating to get rid of the invading power as soon as and for all,” the assertion added.
The TPLF didn’t reply to requests for remark.
A lot of northern Ethiopia is below a communications blackout and entry for journalists is restricted, making battlefield claims troublesome to confirm independently.
Exodus
Dessie, which is situated within the Amhara area neighbouring Tigray, lies about 400 kilometres north of Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa.
Residents had earlier reported a heavy army build-up within the space, as civilians fleeing conflict-hit cities additional north poured into Dessie looking for refuge.
However on Saturday, Dessie itself noticed an exodus, with many individuals piling into buses and fleeing for the city of Kombolcha, situated additional south.
Tigray in the meantime has confronted near-daily aerial bombardments for nearly two weeks because the army steps up its use of air energy within the warfare.
READ | US, EU warn of inflow of Eritrean troops in Ethiopia’s Tigray
In keeping with a hospital official, 10 folks died in an air strike on Thursday, whereas the UN mentioned two strikes on October 18 killed three youngsters. One other particular person died in a separate assault this month.
The federal government mentioned the amenities bombed have been army in nature and aiding the TPLF.
The bombings have drawn worldwide censure, and disrupted UN entry to the area the place an estimated 400,000 folks face famine-like situations below a de-facto support blockade.
The battle erupted final November when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed deployed troops in Tigray, with the operation spiralling into a protracted warfare marked by massacres, mass rapes and a humanitarian disaster.
[ad_2]
Source link
