Ethiopian And Eritrean Forces Clash With Tigrayan Forces In The North

Ethiopian and Eritrean forces launch attack – Tigray Army Attack on northern town of Adybayo – Tigrayan military statement The Ethiopian government says Tigrayan forces are stepping up attacks The conflict has destabilized Africa’s second most populous nation

NAIROBI, Sept 1 (Reuters) – Ethiopian and Eritrean government forces launched an offensive in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region on Thursday, targeting Tigrayan forces, a Tigrayan army spokesman said, as a government statement blamed the Tigrayans for fresh fighting. Reuters was unable to independently verify either side’s statements. The Tigrayan military command said the northern town of Adybayo was attacked from four directions. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up “The enemy, having already moved a huge force into Eritrea, has now launched a joint campaign with the foreign invasion force of Eritrea,” it added in a statement. Fighting also continues on the southern front, he said. The statement came after its spokesman, Getachew Reda, said on Twitter that the two forces launched a “major quadruple attack early this morning” in Adybayo area. The Ethiopian government said attacks by Tigrayan forces had intensified, leading to the deaths and displacement of civilians and destruction of property. He also accused the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) of diverting food aid meant for starving Tigrayians. The government statement did not directly address the allegations of an attack by Ethiopian and Eritrean troops in northwestern Tigray. Ethiopian government spokesman Legesse Tulu did not immediately respond to a Reuters question about the number of civilians killed or displaced by the conflict. Military spokesman Col. Getnet Adane and prime minister’s spokesman Billene Seyoum did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel also did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Both sides accuse each other of violating the ceasefire. The conflict in Ethiopia has roiled the region and destabilized Africa’s second-most populous country, a diplomatic heavyweight that hosts the African Union and provides peacekeepers to several of its fragile neighbors. Reuters was unable to independently confirm Getachew’s report or ascertain who started the fighting because Tigray has been without telephone connections since government troops withdrew more than a year ago. A humanitarian in the Tigrayan town of Shire told Reuters that drivers coming from the area reported cross-border shelling on Wednesday. He said he spoke to a witness, who said heavy artillery shelling of the town of Shiraro near the Eritrean border had begun around 4:30 a.m. Thursday. A militia leader in the Amhara city of Gondar with contacts on the front lines of the fighting confirmed there had been “heavy shelling from our side” targeting Tigrayan trenches around the town of Shiraro, in the same region. The Ethiopian army clashed with Tigrayan forces on Wednesday, he said, and wounded government fighters were being treated in Humera. The hospital had received orders to evacuate civilian patients, he said. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken late Wednesday urged the Ethiopian government and the TPLF to “immediately cease military operations” and work to end the conflict. Eritrea sent troops to Tigray to support the Ethiopian army soon after fighting broke out in November 2020, although both countries publicly denied their presence for about five months as they were accused of gang-rapes, mass killings of civilians and systemic looting. The Eritreans denied the accusations. By mid-2021, Eritrean and Ethiopian troops withdrew from most of Tigray after increasingly bloody fighting in which Tigrayan forces gained ground. In January, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki told state media that his troops would intervene again if Tigrayan forces attacked his country or threatened Ethiopia’s stability. The government declared a ceasefire in March, but in May, Eritrean forces fired at least 23 shells into Shiraro, killing a 14-year-old girl and wounding 18 people, according to a UN report. Eritrea did not respond to requests for comment at the time. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up Report from the Nairobi newsroom. Edited by Robert Birsel and Clarence Fernandez Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

title: “Ethiopian And Eritrean Forces Clash With Tigrayan Forces In The North Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-01” author: “Jeanetta Taylor”

Ethiopian and Eritrean forces launch attack – Tigray Army Attack on northern town of Adybayo – Tigrayan military statement The Ethiopian government says Tigrayan forces are stepping up attacks The conflict has destabilized Africa’s second most populous nation

NAIROBI, Sept 1 (Reuters) – Ethiopian and Eritrean government forces launched an offensive in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region on Thursday, targeting Tigrayan forces, a Tigrayan army spokesman said, as a government statement blamed the Tigrayans for fresh fighting. Reuters was unable to independently verify either side’s statements. The Tigrayan military command said the northern town of Adybayo was attacked from four directions. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up “The enemy, having already moved a huge force into Eritrea, has now launched a joint campaign with the foreign invasion force of Eritrea,” it added in a statement. Fighting also continues on the southern front, he said. The statement came after its spokesman, Getachew Reda, said on Twitter that the two forces launched a “major quadruple attack early this morning” in Adybayo area. The Ethiopian government said attacks by Tigrayan forces had intensified, leading to the deaths and displacement of civilians and destruction of property. He also accused the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) of diverting food aid meant for starving Tigrayians. The government statement did not directly address the allegations of an attack by Ethiopian and Eritrean troops in northwestern Tigray. Ethiopian government spokesman Legesse Tulu did not immediately respond to a Reuters question about the number of civilians killed or displaced by the conflict. Military spokesman Col. Getnet Adane and prime minister’s spokesman Billene Seyoum did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel also did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Both sides accuse each other of violating the ceasefire. The conflict in Ethiopia has roiled the region and destabilized Africa’s second-most populous country, a diplomatic heavyweight that hosts the African Union and provides peacekeepers to several of its fragile neighbors. Reuters was unable to independently confirm Getachew’s report or ascertain who started the fighting because Tigray has been without telephone connections since government troops withdrew more than a year ago. A humanitarian in the Tigrayan town of Shire told Reuters that drivers coming from the area reported cross-border shelling on Wednesday. He said he spoke to a witness, who said heavy artillery shelling of the town of Shiraro near the Eritrean border had begun around 4:30 a.m. Thursday. A militia leader in the Amhara city of Gondar with contacts on the front lines of the fighting confirmed there had been “heavy shelling from our side” targeting Tigrayan trenches around the town of Shiraro, in the same region. The Ethiopian army clashed with Tigrayan forces on Wednesday, he said, and wounded government fighters were being treated in Humera. The hospital had received orders to evacuate civilian patients, he said. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken late Wednesday urged the Ethiopian government and the TPLF to “immediately cease military operations” and work to end the conflict. Eritrea sent troops to Tigray to support the Ethiopian army soon after fighting broke out in November 2020, although both countries publicly denied their presence for about five months as they were accused of gang-rapes, mass killings of civilians and systemic looting. The Eritreans denied the accusations. By mid-2021, Eritrean and Ethiopian troops withdrew from most of Tigray after increasingly bloody fighting in which Tigrayan forces gained ground. In January, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki told state media that his troops would intervene again if Tigrayan forces attacked his country or threatened Ethiopia’s stability. The government declared a ceasefire in March, but in May, Eritrean forces fired at least 23 shells into Shiraro, killing a 14-year-old girl and wounding 18 people, according to a UN report. Eritrea did not respond to requests for comment at the time. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up Report from the Nairobi newsroom. Edited by Robert Birsel and Clarence Fernandez Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.