Government forces and their allies in Ethiopia say they had taken control of a strategic town in the conflict-hit northern region of Tigray after days of fighting with rebel forces across multiple fronts. The Tigray Peace Force, an armed group composed of Tigrayan fighters aligned with the federal government, said in a statement on Facebook that they had captured the town of Alamata with the national army. Fighting has intensified across northern Ethiopia in the past week amid renewed hostilities between the federal government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and its allies, shattering the fragile Pretoria Agreement, a peace deal signed in November 2022.
In the previous fighting from 2020 to 2022, hundreds of thousands of people were killed and millions displaced. Here is what you need to know about the latest developments: On Monday, the Tigray Peace Force said its fighters had captured Alamata, a strategic town about 120km (75 miles) south of Tigray’s capital, Mekelle. Video verified by the news agency showed soldiers walking through Alamata carrying Ethiopian flags.
Two diplomatic sources also told the town had fallen while a source linked to opposition forces said they were retreating. The latest fighting erupted last week when Tigrayan rebel forces launched a major offensive, seizing three airports in Tigray and pushing into the neighbouring Afar and Amhara regions. The TPLF says it is fighting a “defensive war”, accusing federal forces of attacks using drones and heavy artillery.
Federal government forces and their allies have since counterattacked. The headquarters of Tigrai TV, seen as the key outlet for the rebel authorities in Mekelle, was hit by a drone on Sunday. The fighting has occurred on several fronts across northern Ethiopia, stretching across Tigray, Amhara and Afar.
Alamata is particularly important because it sits near Tigray’s southern border with Amhara and serves as a supply hub for troops, fuel and food. Its capture could allow federal forces to push north towards Mekelle. A military source told Al Jazeera that government forces had already advanced and were heading towards or surrounding the Tigrayan capital.
Meanwhile, TPLF forces seized Erebti, a strategically important town in the Afar region, over the weekend, according to an Ethiopian commander who spoke to The news agency on condition of anonymity. The Tigray Peace Force also acknowledged that Erebti had fallen to the TPLF but disputed reports that the takeover followed intense fighting, according to AP. The offensive in Afar could threaten supply routes from Djibouti, through which most Ethiopian imports, including fuel, pass.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
