The Tigray conflict this time clearly spilled over to the neighboring Amhara region to the south. In a spectacular counter-offensive, Tigray People’s Liberation Front (FLPT) troops attacked Amhara soldiers, allies of Addis Ababa, and reportedly took control of two towns, Dessie and Kombolcha, 400 km away. of the Ethiopian capital.
Information denied by the government, and impossible to verify by the media which cannot access the combat zone. Especially since communications are cut with the north of the country.
What is certain is that a wind of general mobilization is blowing over Ethiopia. On Monday night on national television, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called on citizens to take up arms against the FLPT. “Dying for Ethiopia is a duty”. “The challenges are many but I can tell you with certainty that we will achieve a total victory”, launched the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize.
In Addis Ababa, the authorities have asked residents to register their weapons and prepare to defend the city. “All residents must organize themselves into blocks and neighborhoods to protect peace and security in their area, in coordination with the security forces”said the head of the capital’s peace and security department, Kenea Yadeta.
Because, from now on, the troops of Tigray can charge on the capital, in a spectacular reversal of situation. In early 2020, after a lightning offensive, the national army brought the very rebellious region of Tigray to heel and occupied its capital, Mekele. Addis Ababa then dismisses the regional authorities and Abiy Ahmed can proclaim victory on November 28.
Yet the rebels had not laid down their arms, rejecting the end of a conflict unilaterally announced. And in early summer the FLPT recaptured Mekele and controlled the region. But it does not stop there, and pushes its advantage towards the two neighboring regions of Afar and Amhara.
FLPT spokesman Getachew Reda assured rebel forces had no other intentions “than to break the murderous siege” on the Tigré. It is true that the United Nations never ceases to alert people to the situation of populations threatened by famine.
Moreover, the humanitarian situation remains worrying in Tigray. Since October 18, no aid convoy has reached the region. But the situation is also becoming critical in Amhara where the conflict has moved. According to the United Nations, food, medicine and drinking water are lacking and are urgently needed.
“The delivery of emergency humanitarian aid has been hampered by persistent insecurity as well as the limited presence of humanitarian partners”, specifies the organization.