The separatist rebels of the Tigray Liberation Front (Tplf) yesterday entered Macallé, the capital of the northern region of Ethiopia, and this prompted regional government officials ad interim to leave the city. Last November Addis Ababa sent federal troops to Tigray accusing the ruling party, the TPLF, of attacks on military bases in the region.
In recent weeks, the region has been hit by several raids by federal forces. It was reported that 19 civilians were reportedly killed by the military in a church last May. More recently, at least 64 people died as a result of an airstrike that hit a market in the city of Togoga. The Ethiopian government said the action targeted rebels, but survivors and rescuers reported that mostly civilians, including many children, were affected. During the war, both the Ethiopian and the TPLF armies were accused of war crimes.
The Guardian reports that the arrival of the rebels, who have taken control of the airport and other strategic points of the capital, was celebrated by the population with fireworks and celebrations. The police and soldiers of the federal army also fled the city since, as reported by the France Presse agency, Macallè had been completely surrounded by the Tplf militias. Soon after, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize laureate for reconciliation with Eritrea, announced an immediate unilateral ceasefire in the region.
The ceasefire, which will last until the end of the planting season, should allow farmers to work the land and humanitarian aid to reach those in need, but the rebel militias have promised to drive “the enemies” out of the Ethiopian region, urging the people to “intensify the struggle” despite the truce announced by the federal government.
Meanwhile, the UN has reported that Ethiopian soldiers destroyed UNICEF satellite equipment in Macallé. “We are not and should not be a target,” said the children’s agency.
The continuous guerrilla actions, which have characterized the conflict since its inception in November 2020, have triggered a humanitarian crisis that is getting worse and worse. The Ethiopian government has hindered the arrival of humanitarian aid to the region, with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed denying the existence of problems related to food shortages in Tigray. According to the UN, however, more than 350 thousand people are at risk of famine and 140 thousand children who suffer from hunger. The Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, said he had spoken with Abiy Ahmed and said he was “hopeful that there will be a real cessation of hostilities”. The British Embassy in Ethiopia called the recent developments “an important turning point”.