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 By Robbie COREY-BOULET Addis Ababa (AFP) Aug 10, 2021
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed issued a call Tuesday for all eligible civilians to join the armed forces as fighting rages in multiple regions of Africa's second most populous nation. "Now is the right time for all capable Ethiopians who are of age to join the Defense Forces, Special Forces and militias and show your patriotism," Abiy's office said in a statement released less than two months after he declared a unilateral ceasefire in the war against Tigrayan rebels. Northern Ethiopia has been wracked by violence since November after Abiy, the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize winner, sent troops into Tigray to topple its regional ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), vowing a swift victory. But nine months later, the TPLF has made advances into the neighbouring Afar and Amhara regions, while aid workers struggle to reach cut-off populations, with 400,000 people facing famine-like conditions in Tigray, according to the UN. On Tuesday, the government's patience appeared to have run out, with Abiy ordering security forces "to halt the destruction of the treasonous and terrorist TPLF organisation and the machinations of foreign hands once and for all". Those unable to enlist could contribute in other ways, including "providing supplies and moral support for the army", the statement said. "Every Ethiopian must work closely with the security forces in being the eyes and ears of the country in order to track down and expose spies and agents of the terrorist TPLF." - Civilians shot, killed - As the fighting drags on, the humanitarian toll has spiked, with thousands killed and at least two million others forced to flee. Both sides are trading blame for civilian casualties. A medical official in Afar told AFP Tuesday that 12 people were killed and dozens wounded in an attack on displaced civilians. The incident occurred on August 5 in Galicoma town, said Dr Abubeker Mahammud, medical director of the Dubti Referral Hospital, where victims were being treated. "Twelve dead bodies arrived at the hospital," Abubeker said. He said almost 50 people were injured, nearly 75 percent with bullet wounds. Survivors told hospital officials they had been shot by TPLF fighters, he added. Two officials with Afar's regional government put the death toll in Galicoma at more than 200, but the figure could not be independently verified. Ayish Yasin, head of Afar's bureau for women and children, told AFP that "out of the 200 bodies recovered, 107 are children -- 48 girls and 59 boys". The head of the UN children's agency UNICEF, Henrietta Fore, said Monday she was "extremely alarmed by the reported killings of over 200 people, including more than 100 children, in attacks on displaced families" in Afar. A UNICEF spokesman said Tuesday said it had received "credible information from partners" about the attacks and that various UN agencies were planning to assess the site "as soon as security permits". Ethiopian officials have seized on the Galicoma deaths as proof of the TPLF's disregard for the worsening humanitarian situation in Tigray. But TPLF spokesman Getachew Reda said on Twitter Monday that government troops "launched an offensive on August 5 against our forces in Galicoma". He said the TPLF would "investigate any incident that may have occurred". - UNHCR regains access - Aid agencies have warned of dire days ahead as humanitarian access remains hamstrung by security woes. On Tuesday the UN refugee agency UNHCR said it had regained access to two Eritrean refugee camps in Tigray for the first time since July 13. Although aid deliveries resumed on August 5, UNHCR spokesman Boris Cheshirkov told reporters in Geneva that access to the camps, which house 23,000 people, remains "limited by a complex and fluid security situation". "Basic services such as healthcare remain unavailable, and clean drinking water is running out." Abiy, who has claimed his November offensive came in response to TPLF attacks on federal army camps, has accused the rebels of seeking to destroy Ethiopia. The TPLF has repeatedly said it does not intend to hold territory in Amhara and Afar and instead wants to facilitate aid access and prevent pro-government forces from regrouping.
Timeline of Ethiopia's conflict Here is a timeline of the conflict in Africa's second most populous country. - Troops enter Tigray - Fighting begins on November 4, 2020 when Abiy orders a military response to what he calls a "traitorous" attack on federal army camps in Tigray. He blames it on the region's ruling Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which dominated Ethiopian national politics for nearly three decades before Abiy took office in 2018. The TPLF denies responsibility and says the reported attack is a pretext for an "invasion". Tens of thousands of refugees flee to neighbouring Sudan as the United Nations and African Union demand an end to the fighting. - 'War crimes' - After 10 days of fighting, the UN warns of possible war crimes in Tigray. Neighbouring Eritrea -- with which Abiy signed a peace deal in 2018 that helped him win the Nobel Peace Prize -- is reported to have sent troops into Tigray to help Abiy. - Capital falls - Two weeks later, having rejected peace talks, Abiy launches an offensive on Tigray's capital Mekele. On November 28 he announces military operations in Tigray are "completed", but fighting continues, hindering aid supplies. - 'Ethnic cleansing' - In February 2021 Amnesty International says Eritrean soldiers killed "hundreds of civilians" in November in the holy city of Axum. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken later urges Eritrea to withdraw and describes violence in western Tigray as "ethnic cleansing". - Axum massacre - For months Ethiopia and Eritrea deny the involvement of Eritrean forces in the conflict. But on March 23 Abiy admits Eritrean troops had crossed into Tigray. The next day the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission says Eritrean soldiers massacred more than 100 civilians in Axum. - Withdrawal? - In early April, Ethiopia says Eritrean troops have "started to evacuate" Tigray, but on April 15 the UN says there is no evidence of withdrawal. - Famine - As international outrage mounts, AFP obtains government documents showing that Eritrean troops are looting and blocking food aid. In late May, US President Joe Biden calls for a ceasefire and says rights abuses "must end". In June the World Food Programme says 350,000 risk famine in Tigray, a statement disputed by the Ethiopian government. - No elections in Tigray - Elections are held on June 21 across much of Ethiopia, but not in Tigray. - Deadly market air strike - At least 64 people are killed and 180 injured in an Ethiopian air strike on a market in Togoga on June 22. The attack was aimed at rebel fighters, Ethiopia's military insists. - Rebel advance - Tigray's interim government flees on June 28 in the face of a rebel advance on Mekele. The federal government announces a "unilateral ceasefire". The rebels vow to fight on if strict conditions are not met. - New assault - Tigrayan forces say on July 12 they have pushed south. The attacks come barely two days after election results showed Abiy's party had won the elections, guaranteeing him a new five-year term. Abiy vows on July 14 to repel attacks. On July 15 three Ethiopian regions deploy forces to back military operations in Tigray. - Conflict spreads - The conflict spreads to two neighbouring regions, Afar and Amhara. Rebels from Tigray on August 5 seize Lalibela, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Amhara. - Population called up - The next day they rebuff US calls to leave neighbouring regions and Ethiopia warns it could deploy its "entire defensive capability". On August 10 Abiy calls for all eligible civilians to join the armed forces.
Region launches military mission as Rwanda helps retake Mozambique towns Maputo (AFP) Aug 9, 2021 Southern African countries on Monday inaugurated a regional military mission to help Mozambique take back control of its gas-rich northern province from jihadists that have been rampaging across towns and villages for nearly four years. Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi and Botswanan President Mokgweetsi Masisi launched the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM) at an event in Pemba, the capital of Cabo Delgado province. "We reaffirm our joint commitment to f ... read more
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