August 29, 2022 (NAIROBI) – The northern region of Ethiopia witnessed a serious escalation on Saturday when the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) launched a large-scale offensive and took several cities controlled by the government.
Recently, the warring parties in Ethiopia accused each other of violating a humanitarian truce that reached amide international pressures to negotiate a peaceful settlement to the civil war in the Tigray region.
A TPLF official on Sunday told Sudan Tribune that Tigrayan forces have entered territories of the neighbouring Amhara region and seized eight towns, including the key towns of Kobo and Robit.
The official who asked for anonymity said federal and allied regional forces are retreating from several areas as the TPLF forces intensify offensives further deep into the government-controlled Amhara region.
On Saturday, the office of the Ethiopian Government Communication Service admitted that their forces had left the town of Kobo, but argued that it was “to avoid urban civilian casualties”.
“The TPLF has attacked the outskirts of the city from many directions and has managed to infiltrate the city”
As a result, “National Defence Forces were forced to retreat and hold strategic locations to defend against further attacks,” said part of the statement seen by Sudan Tribune.
Moreover, the city administrations of Woldia and Dessie of the Amhara region imposed a curfew after the Tigrayan forces captured Kobo town.
Woldia city administration prohibited the movement of civilians from 7:00 PM to 6:00 AM local time except for personnel assigned by the security forces.
Similarly, Dessie’s city administration restricted civilians’ movements, and service providers in the city after 7:00 PM.
The civil war resumed on Wednesday, five months after both warring parties committed themselves to a ceasefire to allow peace a chance.
Although both parties accuse each other of attacks that led to the resumption of hostilities, international communities and organizations are calling on the Ethiopian government and Tigrayan forces to immediately return to a peaceful resolution.
The UN has expressed grave concerns over the resumption of fighting in North Ethiopia.
“I am deeply shocked and saddened by the news of the resumption of hostilities in Ethiopia… My strong appeal is for an immediate cessation of hostilities and for the resumption of peace talks between the government and the TPLF with at the same time the full.” guarantee of humanitarian access to people in need and the re-establishment of public services,” said the UN chief António Guterres.
Even though it has been more than five months since both parties agreed to a ceasefire, basic services such as medicine, telephone, water, electricity, banking, and fuel still remain cut off from Tigray.
The civil war, which broke out in November 2020, has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands and resulted in the displacement of millions of Ethiopians.
ST
