Ethiopia claims responsibility for airstrikes in Tigrayan capital of Mekelle

Ethiopia has claimed responsibility for the airstrike in the conflict-ridden Tigrayan capital of Mekelle. The announcement came hours after Ethiopia dismissed reports of carrying out the "deadly raids." As per BBC, the attacks were targeted at rebel communication systems and weapon facilities. Earlier, the Ethiopian Ministry stringently held on to statements accusing the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) of the attack that killed three civilians in the region. Additionally, Ethiopian government spokesperson Legesse Tulu, as reported by BBC, also went to blame the TPLF for the violent attacks in Amhara and Afar regions. "Terrorists are the ones who attack cities with innocent civilians in them, not the government," Tulu had said.  Meanwhile, the Tigrayan capital has remained under complete brownout of communication to respond to the Ethiopian government's current claims. Although, immediately after the blast, TPLF run Tigrai Tv had called out Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed for what the rebels have called it to be "a final offensive against Tigray."

Ethiopian military strike kills three In Tigray

On Monday, the Ethiopian military launched airstrikes on the Tigrayan capital city of Mekelle killing three civilians and injuring seven. "AbiyAhmed’s ‘Air Force’ sent its bomber jet to attack civilian targets in & outside Mekelle," Getachew Reda, advisor to Tigrayan President wrote on Twitter. In a series of Twitter posts, he called out the Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed for his "desperate move to exact revenge on the people of Tigray."

The conflict between Tigray and Ethiopia

Months after Nobel Peace Prize winner Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took the chair, he launched a "coordinated attack" against the rebel forces in the Northern Tigray region in November 2020. The Prime Minister made the call after the Afar leftist political front TPLF sieged a key Ethiopian military base at Sero by using tanks and machine guns. This had led to the ignition of a 10-months long prolonged war in the region.

The conflict has killed thousands due to shelling in the Horn of Africa and displaced over 2 million. In January 2021, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) informed that about 56,000 fled to neighbouring Sudan amidst the ongoing war.

Image: @Amiableee26-Twitter