Heavy fighting in Ethiopia's Tigray state as PM Abiy under new spotlight

NAIROBI, Kenya - Fierce fighting broke out in Ethiopia's Tigray region on Monday and part of Tuesday even as the country went to polls, which have after all been boycotted by key opposition leaders, who accuse Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of high handedness.

Monday's fighting involved the Ethiopian National Defense Forces [ENDF] and those from the Tigray Defense Forces [TDF] otherwise known as Tigray People's Liberation Front [TPLF], who are considered separatists in the Horn of Africa nation.

In multiple statements dispatched to the media, TDF confirmed seizing several towns, with witnesses telling BBC they had seen its fighters patrolling. TDF had lost grip of many sections of Tigray after the operation was launched in November 2020.

However, the federal Ethiopian army dismissed the claim, saying it was fake news. This is the most serious fighting since November when the Ethiopian government declared victory in the conflict.

The fighting started at the time the country was going to local parliamentary elections, which have been boycotted by major parties. It's anticipated that Abiy Ahmed's party [Prosperity Party] will clinch most of the seats.

Many parts of the country are yet to go to elections due to the Tigray crisis, with the National Electoral Commission Board [NEBE] postponing some parliamentary polls to September 2021. Other than Tigray, some regions also had the polls delayed due to security challenges.

Thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced in the war that started almost eight months ago. Following the fighting, some five million people in Tigray are in need of food aid and more than 350,000 are living in famine conditions, according to a recent UN-backed estimate.

Gebre GebreTsadiq, the TDF spokesperson, said his group launched the attack last week targeting several towns. He said the fighters had destroyed military vehicles and captured some soldiers.

Witnesses have told the BBC that rebel forces have entered the strategic town of Adigrat, which is just 45 km (30 miles) from the Eritrean border. If confirmed, this would be the most significant rebel advance since the war began.

TDF fighters who had retreated after the offensive by ENDF and Eritrea troops have been seen in recent weeks in north and south of Mekele, the regional administrative capital of the Tigray region. The government troops have been accused of overseeing mass murder in the region.

Colonel Getnet, the ENDF spokesman confirmed there was fighting but denied that any towns, army equipment, or soldiers had been captured.

"While the Ethiopian government was busy with the national elections and the GERD [Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam] issues, the terrorist TPLF [a key part of the TDF], along with its young recruits, was actively involved in terrorist activities," he said, adding that some rebel leaders would be captured.

For the past eight months, the United Nations has been monitoring atrocities in the Tigray region, with human rights groups accusing the Ethiopian administration of plotting to exterminate Tigrayans in the country over a political grudge that has existed for years.

The UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet said the global body is "deeply disturbed" by reports of continued violations including executions in Tigray as elections kicked off in Ethiopia. This is the first time the UN is coming out "strongly" over the Tigray conflict.

She added that a long-awaited joint investigation into the alleged genocide should be ready by August. A number of organizations including the African Union are investigating alleged genocide in the Tigray region, which has left thousands dead and others displaced.

Already, the United States and the UK have issued visa restrictions for top officials from Ethiopia and Eritrea over the Tigray conflict, but the names are yet to be published. However, it's believed those affected are mainly military generals from the two nations.

The conflict started when Ethiopia's government, aided by troops from neighboring Eritrea, launched an offensive in November last year to oust the region's then ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front [TPLF]. By the end of the month, it declared victory.

The TPLF had had a massive fallout with Mr. Abiy over his political reforms through its capture of federal military bases in Tigray was the catalyst for the invasion. The TPLF has since joined forces with other groups in Tigray to form the TDF.

Speaking to the BBC on Monday after casting his vote in the twice-delayed national election, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said he was working with the Eritrean troops to get them to leave but said he would not "push them out".

They are accused of carrying out massacres, mass rape, and blocking humanitarian aid - charges Eritrea has denied. He also denied that there was hunger in Tigray. He admitted there was a problem but said the government could fix it.

GAROWE ONLINE