‘Deadly’ air strikes hit capital of Ethiopia’s Tigray
- One adult and two children were killed in the bombardments on Mekele, in a dramatic escalation of the year-long conflict in the region
- The government at first denied reports about the attacks, but state media confirmed the air force had struck Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) targets
Ethiopia’s military launched air strikes on the capital of the war-battered Tigray region on Monday, a dramatic escalation in the year-long conflict.
The government initially dismissed reports about the bombardments on Mekele as an “absolute lie” but state media later confirmed the air force had struck Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) targets.
A senior official at Tigray’s largest hospital said three people had been killed, including two children.
They were the first air raids on Mekele since the early stages of the war in northern Ethiopia that has killed untold numbers of people and triggered a deep humanitarian crisis.
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The bombardments – reported by residents, humanitarian officials and diplomats – came as Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government appeared to be pressing a new offensive against the TPLF, which dominated national politics for almost three decades before he took power in 2018.