four dead, including two children, in the bombing of the capital of Tigray

Violent recovery. At least four people, including two children, were killed and nine injured Friday, August 26 in a bombardment carried out by the Ethiopian air force on Mekele, capital of the rebel region of Tigray, announced an official of the main hospital in the city. This bombardment in the heart of this dissident region of northern Ethiopia marks a sharp escalation after the resumption of fighting on Wednesday between government forces and Tigrayan rebels of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). This return to violence ended a five-month truce.

“At midday, a plane (…) dropped bombs on a residential area and a kindergarten in Mekele. Civilians were killed and injured”, said a spokesman for the rebel authorities. Shortly thereafter, the federal government announced in a statement that, although there remained “fully disposed” to discuss unconditionally with the rebels, he intended “carry out actions targeting military forces (…) opposed to peace”. He called on the population living in Tigray “to stay away from areas where military equipment and training facilities are located” rebels.

The resumption of fighting worries the international community. As of Wednesday, many countries and international organizations, the United Nations, the United States and the European Union in the lead, called for a cessation of hostilities and a peaceful resolution to the conflict which has lasted for 21 months.