Ethiopia says government forces seize three Tigray towns, as UN warns situation ‘spiralling out of control’
- It’s the latest twist in the two-year conflict, which has pitted federal forces and their allies against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front
- Tigray and its six million people are virtually cut off from the outside world, facing dire shortages of fuel, food and medicines
Ethiopia said Tuesday its forces had seized three towns in Tigray, the latest major battleground shift in the brutal war with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) , as the UN warned the situation was spiralling out of control with an “utterly staggering” toll on civilians.
International calls for a halt to escalating violence in Tigray have been mounting since a failed attempt by the African Union (AU) earlier this month to bring the warring sides to the negotiating table.
“The ENDF (Ethiopian National Defence Force) has taken control of the towns of Shire, Alamata and Korem without fighting in urban areas,” the government said in a statement.
It was the latest twist in the two-year conflict pitting federal forces and their allies against the TPLF that has been marked by several dramatic about-turns.
Tuesday’s announcement by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government was issued after the Tigray Central Command said the strategic city of Shire and other areas had fallen to “invading forces”.