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The TPLF, led by Chairman ], went ahead with ] in September 2020 in defiance of the federal government, which declared the Tigray election illegal. Several journalists were barred by the federal government (at ]) from traveling to cover Tigray's regional election.<ref ="Reuters_ref_9">{{ cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ethiopia-politics/ethiopia-bars-journalists-from-flying-to-tigray-regional-vote-passengers-say-idUSKBN25Y156|title =Ethiopia bars journalists from flying to Tigray regional vote, passengers say|website=] | date=17 December 2020}}</ref><ref ="VOAnews_ref_2">{{ cite web |url=https://www.voanews.com/press-freedom/journalists-say-they-were-barred-traveling-cover-ethiopian-regional-election|title =Journalists Say They Were Barred from Traveling to Cover Ethiopian Regional Election|website=] | date=17 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/13/scores-of-civilians-massacred-in-ethiopias-tigray-amnesty|title=Ethiopia appoints new Tigray leader, Amnesty reports 'massacre'|website=www.aljazeera.com}}</ref> Fighting between the TPLF and the Federal Government began with the ] bases and headquarters of the ] (ENDF) in ] by TPLF aligned security forces and with attacks by the ENDF in the Tigray Region on the same day, that federal authorities described as a police action.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The conflict in Ethiopia|url=https://graphics.reuters.com/ETHIOPIA-CONFLICT/xklpyjmndvg/|access-date=2020-12-19|website=Reuters|language=en}}</ref><ref name="BBC_4Nov_2witnesses" /><ref name="ThomReut_Sero4Nov2020_attack" /> The TPLF, led by Chairman ], went ahead with ] in September 2020 in defiance of the federal government, which declared the Tigray election illegal. Several journalists were barred by the federal government (at ]) from traveling to cover Tigray's regional election.<ref ="Reuters_ref_9">{{ cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ethiopia-politics/ethiopia-bars-journalists-from-flying-to-tigray-regional-vote-passengers-say-idUSKBN25Y156|title =Ethiopia bars journalists from flying to Tigray regional vote, passengers say|website=] | date=17 December 2020}}</ref><ref ="VOAnews_ref_2">{{ cite web |url=https://www.voanews.com/press-freedom/journalists-say-they-were-barred-traveling-cover-ethiopian-regional-election|title =Journalists Say They Were Barred from Traveling to Cover Ethiopian Regional Election|website=] | date=17 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/13/scores-of-civilians-massacred-in-ethiopias-tigray-amnesty|title=Ethiopia appoints new Tigray leader, Amnesty reports 'massacre'|website=www.aljazeera.com}}</ref> Fighting between the TPLF and the Federal Government began with the ] bases and headquarters of the ] (ENDF) in ] by TPLF aligned security forces and with attacks by the ENDF in the Tigray Region on the same day, that federal authorities described as a police action.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The conflict in Ethiopia|url=https://graphics.reuters.com/ETHIOPIA-CONFLICT/xklpyjmndvg/|access-date=2020-12-19|website=Reuters|language=en}}</ref><ref name="BBC_4Nov_2witnesses" /><ref name="ThomReut_Sero4Nov2020_attack" />


The federal forces captured the Tigrayan capital ] on 28 November, after which Prime Minister Abiy declared the Tigray operation 'over'.<ref name="capture"/><ref name="BBC_11_28"/> The TPLF stated that it would continue fighting.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2020-11-29|title=Ethiopia's Tigray crisis: Mekelle hospital struggling after attack – Red Cross|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-55120572|access-date=2020-11-29}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=2020-12-01|title=In Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed's forces have won the battle but not the war|work=The Economist|url=https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/12/01/in-ethiopia-abiy-ahmeds-forces-have-won-the-battle-but-not-the-war|access-date=2020-12-02|issn=0013-0613}}</ref> The federal forces captured the Tigrayan capital ] on 28 November, after which Prime Minister Abiy declared the Tigray operation 'over'.<ref name="capture"/><ref name="BBC_11_28"/> The TPLF stated that it would continue fighting, until the 'invaders' are out.<ref name="france24_ref_1"/><ref>{{Cite news|date=2020-11-29|title=Ethiopia's Tigray crisis: Mekelle hospital struggling after attack – Red Cross|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-55120572|access-date=2020-11-29}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=2020-12-01|title=In Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed's forces have won the battle but not the war|work=The Economist|url=https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/12/01/in-ethiopia-abiy-ahmeds-forces-have-won-the-battle-but-not-the-war|access-date=2020-12-02|issn=0013-0613}}</ref>


== Background == == Background ==

Revision as of 04:30, 22 December 2020

Armed conflict between Tigray People's Liberation Front and state military units of Ethiopia and Eritrea in 2020
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Tigray conflict
Part of the conflicts in the Horn of Africa

Location of Tigray Region in Ethiopia
(For a more detailed map of the situation, see here.)
Date4 November 2020 – ongoing
(4 years, 2 months and 5 days)
LocationTigray Region, Ethiopia
Spillovers in Amhara Region, Ethiopia and Central Region, Eritrea
Status

Ongoing

  • ENDF captures Mekelle, Ethiopian government claims victory and declares main phase over.
  • The TPLF vows to continue fighting and claims to have recaptured Aksum.
Belligerents
 Ethiopia

Supported by:
 Eritrea

Tigray Region Tigray Regional Government

Commanders and leaders

Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed
(Prime Minister of Ethiopia)
Ethiopia Birhanu Jula
(ENDF Chief of Staff)
Ethiopia Kenea Yadeta
(Minister of Defense)
Amhara Region Tiruneh Temesgen
(Chief Administrator of Amhara Region, early November 2020)
Amhara Region Agegnehu Teshager
(Chief Administrator of Amhara Region, as of late November 2020)
Tigray Region Mulu Nega
(Federally appointed Chief Administrator of the Tigray Region)


Eritrea Isaias Afewerki
(President of Eritrea)
Eritrea
(Chief of the Defence Staff)
Eritrea Filipos Woldeyohannes
Eritrea Sebhat Ephrem
(General of Eritrean Defense Forces)
Tigray Region Debretsion Gebremichael
(President of Tigray Region, Chairman of TPLF)
Units involved
Ethiopia Ethiopian National Defense Force

Ethiopia Ethiopian Federal Police

  • Amhara Region Amhara Region Special Force

Amhara Region Amhara Region Police Force

  • Afar Region Afar Region Special Forces

Afar Region Afar Region Police Force

Eritrea Eritrean Defence Forces
  • Tigray Region Tigray Region Special Force
  • Tigray Region Tigray Region Police Force
  • Tigray Region Tigray Region Militias

Casualties and losses
At least 10,000 (TPLF claim)
1 MiG-23 aircraft
550 killed (government claim; 4–11 November 2020)
Several Sudanese soldiers killed
At least 611 civilians killed; possibly thousands dead
~1,000,000 displaced

The Tigray conflict is an ongoing armed conflict that began in November 2020 in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia, between two sides: the Tigray Regional Government that is led by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF); and forces supporting Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, with the latter also receiving support from the president Isaias Afwerki's Eritrean Forces.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power in 2018 and started making significant reforms in the justice, economy and foreign policy fronts. To distance the country's politics from ethnic federalism, he merged the ethnic and region-based parties of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, which had governed Ethiopia for 30 years, into the new Prosperity Party. The TPLF, a politically powerful entity that had dominated Ethiopian politics during those 30 years, refused to join the new party, and alleged that Abiy Ahmed became an illegitimate ruler by rescheduling the general elections set for 29 August 2020 (which Abiy postponed twice before from the regular May 2020 election date, before COVID-19) to an undetermined date in 2021 due to COVID-19.

The TPLF, led by Chairman Debretsion Gebremichael, went ahead with regional elections in Tigray in September 2020 in defiance of the federal government, which declared the Tigray election illegal. Several journalists were barred by the federal government (at Addis Ababa airport) from traveling to cover Tigray's regional election. Fighting between the TPLF and the Federal Government began with the 4 November attacks on the Northern Command bases and headquarters of the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) in Tigray Region by TPLF aligned security forces and with attacks by the ENDF in the Tigray Region on the same day, that federal authorities described as a police action.

The federal forces captured the Tigrayan capital Mekelle on 28 November, after which Prime Minister Abiy declared the Tigray operation 'over'. The TPLF stated that it would continue fighting, until the 'invaders' are out.

Background

Historical/political

File:Debretsion Gebremichael President of the Tigrai Nation.jpg
Debretsion Gebremichael, elected President of the Tigray Region
File:Abiy.jpg
Ethiopian Prime Minister Lt. Col. Abiy Ahmed

Following the end of the Ethiopian Civil War in 1991, Ethiopia became a dominant-party state under the rule of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), a coalition of ethnically-based parties. The founding and most influential member was the TPLF and the chairperson was Meles Zenawi, who was the Prime Minister of Ethiopia until his death in 2012.

The TPLF used to be part of the Ethiopian governing coalition until its 2019 refusal to merge into the Prosperity Party. In 2020, tensions between the government and the TPLF escalated in the months before the November Tigray military intervention. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who is of Oromo descent, accused the TPLF Party Members in the Tigray Regional Government of undermining his authority. By contrast, the Tigray authorities saw the refusal to recognise the September 2020 election for the Tigray parliament (which, along with all elections in Ethiopia, had been delayed by the federal elections board because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia) as the reason for the outbreak of the conflict. Abiy Ahmed's government considered the September Tigray election to be illegal. The warming of relations between Abiy Ahmed and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, who is poorly regarded in Tigray, was also considered to have fuelled the tension.

As tension continued to grow, a general appointed by Abiy was prevented by the Tigrayan government from taking on his military post. The day prior to the TPLF's 4 November Northern Command attacks, the federal parliament of Ethiopia had suggested designating the TPLF as a terrorist organization.

Constitutional context

The 1995 Constitution of Ethiopia states in Article 39.1, "Every Nation, Nationality and People in Ethiopia has an unconditional right to self-determination, including the right to secession."

Article 62.9 grants HoF the right to "order Federal intervention if any State , in violation of Constitution, endangers the constitutional order."

In late September 2020, the TPLF stated that the constitutional term limit of the HoF, the House of Peoples' Representatives (HoPR), the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers was 5 October 2020 and that for this reason, it would consider "the incumbent" constitutionally illegitimate after 5 October. TPLF proposed replacing the government by a technocratic caretaker government as detailed in a plan posted on Facebook by the Coalition of Ethiopian Federalist Forces.

Course of the conflict

Main article: Timeline of the Tigray conflict

On 4 November 2020, TPLF and Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) soldiers came into conflict during the TPLF attacks on the ENDF Northern Command headquarters in Mekelle, the Fifth Battalion barracks in Dansha, and other Northern Command bases. In retaliation, an Ethiopian offensive was launched which was accompanied by a declaration of a state of emergency and a shutdown of government services in the region. During the subsequent days, skirmishes continued and the Ethiopian parliament declared the creation of an interim government for Tigray. Ethiopian offensives in the north were accompanied with airstrikes and several towns and cities were retaken. On the night from 9 to 10 November, 600 civilians, mostly Amharans and Welkait, were killed in a massacre in the town of Mai Kadra with machetes and knives used by local militias and police loyal to the TPLF, according to preliminary investigations by Amnesty International and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission. Two days later, refugees interviewed by the Daily Telegraph, The Guardian and the The New York Times stated that Amhara militias, including Fano, and the ENDF carried out beatings and a massacre of 20 Tigrayans in Humera. Humera was shelled from the direction of the Eritrean–Ethiopian border for two days around 9–11 November. The ENDF gained control of Humera on 12 November. On 14 November 2020, Tigrayan forces launched rockets at the Eritrean capital of Asmara, but the missiles missed. In addition Tigrayan forces fired a rocket towards Bahir Dar and Gondar cities in the Amhara region in the late hours of Nov. 13, 2020.

By 18 November, Abiy claimed that Ethiopia Defense Force had captured the cities of Shire and Axum with battles continuing around Mekelle; Ethiopian forces further claimed to have taken some land south of the city. On 23 November, the government issued an ultimatum giving the rebels 72 hours to surrender. On 26 November, after the ultimatum ended, Abiy ordered federal military forces to launch an attack on Mekelle. On 28 November, the Ethiopian government announced that it had taken control of the city, bringing the "the last phase of its law enforcement operation" to an end. The TPLF said they would continue fighting. TPLF Chairman, Debretsion Gebremichael, confirmed the TPLF was withdrawing from Mekelle. Thousands of people were believed to have been killed in the conflict and around 44,000 have fled to Sudan. On 29 November claims that South Sudan was harboring Debretsion, led to the Ethiopian ambassador to South Sudan abruptly returning to Ethiopia, and South Sudanese diplomats in Ethiopia allegedly being given 72 hours to leave the country. On 2 December the United Nations was promised humanitarian access to the territory held by ENDF in the Tigray Region. The first UN convoy reached Mekelle on 12 December. On 16 December the EU delayed financial aid to Ethiopia citing the governments restrictions against UN humanitarian aid as the reason.

Humanitarian crises

According to the United Nations (UN), some 2.3 million children are cut off from desperately needed aid and humanitarian assistance. The Ethiopian federal government has strictly controlled access to the Tigray region (since the start of the conflict), and the UN said it is frustrated that talks with the Ethiopian government have not yet secured adequate humanitarian access. These include, "food, including ready-to-use therapeutic food for the treatment of child malnutrition, medicines, water, fuel and other essentials that are running low" said UNICEF.

Possible COVID-19 outbreaks are feared as refugees fleeing the Tigray conflict are sheltering in crowded camps.

As of December 2020, the UN estimates more than one million people have been internally displaced by the fighting. More than 50,000 people have fled to Sudan due to the conflict. Communications and travel links remain severed with the Tigray region since the deadly conflict broke out on Nov. 4, and Human Rights Watch is warning that “actions that deliberately impede relief supplies” violate international humanitarian law.

Food has also run out for the nearly 100,000 Eritrean refugees in Tigray.

The fighting has killed thousands, according to International Crisis Group. The U.N. has in November 2020 reported that people in Tigray are fleeing their capital city. Abiy's government had warned them of “no mercy” if residents didn't move away from the TPLF leaders, whom they accused of hiding among the population.

Role of online social networks

Claire Wilmot, writing in The Washington Post, speculated that Internet restrictions imposed by the Abiy government during the Tigray conflict might be motivated by a wish to deescalate the conflict. She argued that much of the Twitter activity that she analysed was authentic English-language communication by members of the Ethiopian diaspora, with the hashtag #StopTheWarOnTigray, and aiming to complement the "one-sided and highly dangerous image" that dominated views on the conflict. Wilmot saw the Tigray conflict-related Ethiopian online activity as mostly distinct from Ethiopian online hate speech, which in 2019 was mostly in Amharic on Facebook, but also suggested that the lines between authentic online political activity and deliberate misinformation were becoming blurred. Wilmot suggested that the "information vacuum" in the conflict reduced the "ability to verify information".

Ethnic profiling of Tigrayans

It has been suggested that this section be split out into another article titled Ethnic profiling of Tigrayans in Ethiopia. (Discuss) (December 2020)

Ethnic profiling of Tigrayans in Ethiopia has intensified since the start of the conflict. The situation in Ethiopia is "worrying and volatile" as fighting in the Tigray region continues amid reports of ethnic profiling of Tigrayans including in Addis Ababa, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said.

Speaking with The New Humanitarian (TNH) in a series of interviews over the past month, half a dozen Tigrayans living in the country's capital described ethnic profiling and growing harassment. Such abuse and discrimination by neighbours, strangers, and government officials. "The war is not a surprise. But what came after the war, the way is doing it, is a surprise" said one witness. Tigrayans, who said they had no connections to the TPLF, told TNH they have felt targeted too. Some said they have found it harder to get jobs in recent years because of their ethnicity; others said they have fallen out with their neighbours and friends. Others sources have told the BBC that many Tigrayans, who are either current or former members of the armed forces, have been detained or have had their homes searched, and some put under house arrest. When asked for comment, Chief-of-Staff Gen Berhanu Jula told the BBC that this was "a political matter" and he was not in a position to respond. The ethnic profiling and disarming of Tigrayans are not limited to inside Ethiopia, diplomatic and security sources said that between 200 and 300 Tigrayans African peacekeepers in Somalia had their weapons removed."What do you do when you’re a force commander and you find you have 200 or 300 soldiers who can’t go into battle because of their ethnicity?" a security source told Reuters.

The Ethiopian government has also been rounding up ethnic Tigrayan security forces deployed in United Nations and African peacekeeping missions abroad and forcing them onto flights to the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, where it is feared they may face torture or even execution, according to an internal U.N. account. Furthermore, this allegation of ethnic profiling is not limited to Tigrayan members of the military and the police.

Human Rights Watch said they have received reports of Tigrayans outside of Tigray region being harassed on the street, profiled at airports and cafes, and having their homes arbitrarily searched by Ethiopian security forces. A Tigrayan civilian witness BBC talked to (who asked to remain anonymous fearing for her safety) said, a group of armed people, who appeared to be members of the security forces, came to her home, searched it thoroughly, seized bank statements and took away her father, who makes his living as a driver.

The situation has worsened over the past month. Several of the Tigrayans said, police officers have harassed them on the streets of Addis Ababa after checking their identity cards, which indicate their region of birth. One woman, originally from Tigray, said members of her family who work for the government had their homes searched by armed men who took an inventory of their valuable household items – including their fridge, sofa and jewellery – shortly after the conflict broke out. Addressing the alleged discrimination she has suffered, the woman whose home was searched said: "Either is doing it without knowing the consequences, or they’re really out to get Tigrayans all over the country and create a new enemy."

Bank accounts frozen, homes searched

The National Bank of Ethiopia has ordered the suspension of bank accounts opened in Tigray, according to reports in local media. It also ordered bank branches to close in the region. The freeze affected three of the six Tigrayans in Addis Ababa that TNH talked to. One provided a photograph of their bank teller's computer screen, which confirmed the account was not working. Fearing arrest or physical assault if they leave their houses, some of the Tigrayans told TNH they haven't worked for weeks and fear their savings will run out.

Accusing or dismissing the UN and Ethiopian government civil workers for their ethnicity

The Ethiopian federal government has without any evidence accused the highest ranking Tigrayan, the World Health Organization (WHO)'s Director-General Tedros Adhanom, of working for Tigray's forces "to get weapons". It however offered no evidence backing this accusation and Tedros also denied this. Western diplomats posted in Geneva too said that there was no evidence against him. Tedros added and said, "I am on only one side and that is the side of peace".

In a separate incident inside Ethiopia, Ethiopian police visited a U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) to request a list of ethnic Tigrayan staff, according to an internal U.N. security report seen by Reuters. The U.N. report said that the local police chief informed the WFP office of "the order of identifying ethnic Tigrayans from all government agencies and NGOs".

Tigrayan employees at Ethiopian Airlines – pilots, caterers, technicians, and security guards among them – have also reportedly been instructed by their superiors to stay at home until further notice.

Reactions

National

  • The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) condemned the "decision of President Mustafe to portray Somalis in Ethiopia as supporters of the war against Tigray".
  • On November 12, 2020, the TPLF chairman Debretsion Gebremichael denied allegations that the TPLF had surrendered, stating that "we are still holding. These people cannot defeat us. We cannot be beaten."
  • On November 27, Ethiopian Attorney General, Gedion Timothewos, pressed by the BBC's Stephen Sackur to clarify if his country was now "sinking into civil war", responded: "If the Prime Minister were to let the TPLF go on with the kind of things they have been doing, if he had let them acquire the heavy weaponry they wanted to acquire by attacking the Northern Command, yes, we would have descended into that kind of situation; but by taking the measures we are taking right now, we will be able to avert that possibility."
  • When Ethiopian Prime minister Lt. Col. Abiy Ahmed came to power in 2018, he made significant reforms to the country's judicial system, economy and foreign policy. According to an article by Hailemariam Desalegn, the former prime minister of Ethiopia, TPLF officials were concerned these moves were going to threaten their political and economic position in the country . Thus TPLF officials started defying the orders from the federal government and made overt and covert actions to undermine and delegitimize the Ethiopian parliament, defense forces and the federal government.

International

  • The United Nations (UN) warned of the emergence of a major humanitarian crisis, if a full-scale conflict arose.
  • The African Union (AU) appealed for cessation of hostilities and protection of civilians.
  • Canadian Foreign Minister François-Philippe Champagne called on all parties to show restraint. Champagne also called for a peaceful solution and protection of civilians.
  • Djiboutian President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh expressed strong support for Abiy, saying that he had chosen to "restore law and order at the federal level, and punish those seeking to break up the country" and dismissed the prospect of negotiations, saying that the TPLF had "structured itself to bring the central government to its knees" and that talks could "only lead to the partition of Ethiopia", as they would set a precedent under which other regional groups would be able to assert their own secessionist claims.
  • British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he had spoken with Abiy and urged "de-escalation of the Tigray conflict" and further stated that "civilians and humanitarian access must be protected".
  • U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged de-escalation of the conflict and immediate action to restore peace, and emphasized the importance of protecting civilians. U.S. President-elect Joe Biden's foreign policy adviser Antony Blinken expressed deep concern over the humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia, ethnic violence and threats to peace and security in the area. He called on the TPLF to protect civilians and take steps to end the conflict.
  • Worldwide, humanitarian organisations and the scientific community asked for a rapid ceasefire and delivery of humanitarian aid to the people of Tigray.
  • The European Commission said it was mobilizing an initial €4 million in emergency aid, in order to assist displaced Ethiopian refugees who had fled to Sudan.
  • The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, urged the warring parties in the Ethiopia's Tigray region to give clear instructions to their forces to take all the precautions and protect civilians from the hostilities.
  • The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi, during a visit to the Um Raquba camp, maintained that Sudan required $150m in aid to support the high number of Ethiopian refugees who had fled across the Sudanese border.
File:Demonstration of Tigrayan and Eritrean community in Brussels 20201201 against war launched by Abiy Ahmed on Tigray (1).jpg
Demonstration of the Tigrayian and Eritrean community in Brussels against war launched on Tigray

Protests by diaspora abroad

Outside Ethiopia, people of Tigrayan diaspora, as well as those of Eritrean descent, took to the streets to protest against the conflict. These protests included:

File:Demonstration of Tigrayan and Eritrean community in Brussels 20201201 against war launched by Abiy Ahmed on Tigray (7).jpg
Street protest in Brussels on 1 December 2020

See also

References

  1. Elbagir, Nimaand; Arvanitidis, Barbara; McSweeney, Eoin. "Forces from Ethiopia's Tigray region say Eritrean troops are part of the conflict and the war is far from over". CNN. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  2. Stewart, Phil (11 December 2020). "Exclusive: U.S. says reports of Eritrean troops in Ethiopia's Tigray are 'credible'". Reuters. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  3. ^ "Ethiopia says military operation in Tigray region is over, hunt for Tigray leaders begins". Reuters. 28 November 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  4. ^ "Ethiopia's Tigray crisis: Army 'takes regional capital of Mekelle'". BBC News. 28 November 2020. Retrieved 28 November 2020. Mr Abiy said the army was in full control and that this "marks the completion of the last phase".
  5. Staff, Reuters (29 November 2020). "Tigray forces claim to have shot down Ethiopian plane, taken town" – via www.reuters.com. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  6. ^ "Ethiopia: 'We are in our homeland, the invaders are attacking us,' says Tigray's Gebremichael". France 24. 15 December 2020. As fighting continues "in many parts" of Ethiopia's Tigray, according to the United Nations, Tigray's regional president Debretsion Gebremichael told France 24 that the northern region would continue fighting as long as federal "invaders" are on Tigrayan soil. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced military operations in the northern region of Tigray a month ago, saying they targeted the leaders of its ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). Gebremichael believes neighbouring Eritrea is playing a key role in the conflict. "They already have 16 divisions in Tigray. They are fighting on the side of the federal army... They have a united front against us. Wherever you go, they are there." "We are in our homeland, the invaders are attacking us, by air or by artillery fire." Gebremichael also claimed that Eritrean forces had taken part in mass lootings, a report denied by both Eritrea and Ethiopia. "They have taken laboratory equipment, computers, books. They have gone to one factory of medicine," Gebremichael told France 24's, Nicolas Germain. The month-long conflict has claimed thousands of lives, according to the International Crisis Group (ICG), and tens of thousands of refugees have streamed across the border into Sudan. The UN has been warning of a possible humanitarian catastrophe within Tigray, though a communications blackout has made it difficult to assess conditions on the ground.
  7. "Wieder Luftangriffe der Armee in Tigray" (in German). Deutsche Welle. 9 November 2020. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  8. "Ethiopian troops 'liberate' key town in Tigray, claim officials". The Guardian. 17 November 2020. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  9. "Is the Horn of Africa facing a wider conflict?". Al Jazeera. 15 November 2020. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  10. "Air strikes in Ethiopia's Tigray region will continue, PM says". CNN. Reuters. 7 November 2020. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  11. Giulia Paravicini (18 November 2020). "Ethiopian troops push for regional capital, rebels promise 'hell'". Reuters.
  12. Bearak, Max (4 December 2020). "Ethiopia's war in Tigray shows no signs of abating, despite government's victory claims". The Washington Post. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  13. Brahms, Jacob (30 November 2020). "Tigray Rebels Down Jet, Capture Pilot, One Day After Ethiopian Prime Minister Declares Victory".
  14. Getachew, Addis (11 November 2020). "Ethiopia: 550 rebels dead as Tigray offensive continues". Anadolu Agency. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  15. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ethiopia-conflict-sudan-analysis/analysis-spillover-from-tigray-conflict-adds-to-pressure-on-sudan-idUSKBN28S1VS
  16. "Ethiopia: Investigation reveals evidence that scores of civilians were killed in massacre in Tigray state". Amnesty International. 12 November 2020. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  17. "Ethiopia commission says Tigray youth group killed 600 civilians in November 9 attack". Reuters. Nairobi. 24 November 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  18. "Tigray rebels say nine civilians killed in Ethiopian attack". Reuters. 21 November 2020.
  19. "Ethiopia crisis: Tigray leader vows to keep fighting as government advances". BBC News. 18 November 2020.
  20. https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news-feature/2020/12/16/Ethnic-profiling-Tigray-tensions-Ethiopia
  21. Paravicini, Giulia; Endeshaw, Dawit (4 November 2020). "Ethiopia sends army into Tigray region, heavy fighting reported". Reuters. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  22. "Exclusive: U.S. thinks Eritrea has joined Ethiopian war, diplomats say". Reuters. 8 December 2020.
  23. "Ethiopian election board proposes controversial August date for crucial polls". France 24. 24 November 2020.
  24. "Ethiopia's Government and the TPLF Leadership Are Not Morally Equivalent". 24 November 2020.
  25. "Ethiopia bars journalists from flying to Tigray regional vote, passengers say". Reuters. 17 December 2020.
  26. "Journalists Say They Were Barred from Traveling to Cover Ethiopian Regional Election". Voice of America. 17 December 2020.
  27. "Ethiopia appoints new Tigray leader, Amnesty reports 'massacre'". www.aljazeera.com.
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Tigray war
Background
History
Prelude
Timeline
Impact
Peace process
Groups
Key actors
Institutions
Militias
Human rights
organisations
Non-state
Human rights
Casualties
Discrimination
War crimes
Massacres
2020
2021
2022
Refugees/IDPs
  • Hamdayet (Ethiopians)
  • Refoulement of Eritrean refugees
  • Shire
  • Food
    Investigations
    Category / Commons
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