By Spy Uganda Correspondent
Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) have taken control of Mekelle, the capital of the country’s Tigray region, according to a tweet from Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
The city was under fierce bombardment earlier on Saturday, a humanitarian source on the ground and eyewitnesses who have fled the city told agencies.
Federal police will continue working to round up members of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). Thousands of Northern Command officers held by the TPLF have now been released, according to Abiy.
The airport, public institutions, the regional administration office and other critical facilities are under control of the ENDF. The prime minister thanked the people of Tigray and emphasized that the next critical task is working to rebuild what has been destroyed. (https://titanmissilemuseum.org/)
Fierce fighting had broken out in Mekelle on Saturday, the eyewitness said, two days after Abiy warned the country had entered the “final phase” of a “law enforcement” military operation in the northern restive region of Tigray after a 72-hour deadline to surrender expired.
READ ALSO: Surrender Or Face Consequences! UN Warns Of War Crimes As Ethiopia’s Tigray Crisis Escalates
A member of the Amhara Special Forces watches on at the border crossing with Eritrea, in Humera, Ethiopia, on November 22, 2020.
Debretsion Gebremichael, the leader of the TPLF, told agencies in a text message on Saturday that Mekelle was under “heavy bombardment.”
A humanitarian corridor will be open in both directions, according to a statement from the federal government’s state of emergency task force.
There have been reports of atrocities committed by federal forces since Abiy ordered air strikes and a ground offensive against Tigray’s rulers for defying his authority. Tigrayan leaders have accused federal forces of killing innocent civilians while targeting churches and homes.
READ ALSO: Tragedy As Ethiopian Militants Massacre Hundreds Of Civilians-Amnesty International
In a tweet on Saturday, Billene Seyoum, a spokesperson for Abiy, said the “victim/hero narrative” describing TPLF fighters is a “grave denial of justice for millions of Ethiopians.”
A communications blackout in the region has made reporting on claims from both sides difficult.
International leaders have expressed grave concern for the disruption of humanitarian access and for violence against civilians during fighting in Mekelle. About half a million residents live in the capital city, half of whom are children, according to UNICEF.
The federal government said on Saturday it appreciates the concern of the international community, and that civilians were not targeted during the operation.
READ ALSO: Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia Begin New Talks Over Disputed Dam
More than 43,000 Ethiopian refugees have crossed into neighboring Sudan since fighting began on November 4, when the country’s Nobel laureate leader vowed “military confrontation” with the restive region.
Three Ethiopia Red Cross ambulances have been attacked since the clashes began, and hospitals in northern Ethiopia are in urgent need of medical supplies, said the International Committee of the Red Cross on Friday.
The number of people internally displaced inside Tigray is growing daily and some pre-existing refugee camps in the region only have food supplies to last three days, according to the UNHCR.
