In Ethiopia, the Tigray rebels have conquered the UNESCO site of Lalibela, in the north of the country. There was no one to defend the eleven medieval churches carved into the rock: “They arrived in the afternoon. There has been no fighting, the security forces are not in the area, “the residents told the news agency Afp. The Deputy Mayor of Lalibela, Mandefro Tadesse, confirmed to Bbc that thousands of fighters stormed the sacred place for millions of Orthodox Christians: “There have been no shootings, but many are fleeing the city.”
Tigray, the rebels attack the Addis Ababa army
by Pietro Del Re
After conquering the capital of Tigray in late June, the Tdf (Tigrinya Defense Forces) army pushes south, threatening to reach the capital Addis Ababa, about 645 kilometers from the Unesco site taken today. Thousands of people have been killed since the outbreak of war last November when the prime minister Abiy Ahmed sent his troops to overthrow the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) government in the region, a party that dominated national politics before Abiy took office in 2018.
In these eight months, international organizations have accused Tigrinya forces and the Ethiopian government of committing war crimes and human rights violations. The United Nations has raised the famine alarm for at least 350 thousand people. But it is difficult for NGOs to enter the region to help survivors and millions of displaced people. There have been several testimonies of violent massacres, such as that which took place in Axum in November, and devastation with serious damage to the cultural and religious heritage of the country.
Ethiopia, Tigrin forces take back the South. Alamata, the city of Italian defeat in 1941, is conquered
by Raffaella Scuderi
“Lalibela is a world heritage site, we must cooperate to ensure that this treasure is preserved,” said Mandefro concerned that it is now the turn of the sacred site considered the “New Jerusalem” to make up for looting and destruction. Also from Washington, increasingly worried about the conflict, comes the request to respect and preserve the monolithic churches, renewing the appeal to stop the atrocities.
The government has not yet confirmed that Lalibela is under the control of the TPLF. “There is no need to name the places taken because the fighting is taking place on three fronts,” said the Amhara regional spokesman. Gizachew Muluneh, at the beginning of the week.
Tigray, massacre at the market: Ethiopia rules in blood
by Giampaolo Cadalanu
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