Ethiopia claims responsibility for airstrikes in Tigrayan capital of Mekelle
In a major announcement, Ethiopia has claimed responsibility for the airstrike in the conflict-ridden Tigrayan capital of Mekelle on Monday.
- World News
- 2 min read
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."
#Mekelleunderattack
— ርግኣት (@Amiableee26) October 18, 2021
The whole city is under attack pic.twitter.com/T0Jqsch8cr
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."
#AbiyAhmed’s ‘Air Force’ sent its bomber jet to attack civilian targets in& outside #Mekelle. Monday is market day in #Mekelle & the intention is all too palpable. While they are losing big in what they dubbed as a final offensive against Tigray, they will obviously continue to
— Getachew K Reda (@reda_getachew) October 18, 2021
target civilians in a desperate move to exact revenge on the people of Tigray. One of their targets was #thePlanetHotel where a dozen or so Humanitarian Agencies used to have their employees. Apparently the authorities in Addis are in the know about #UNEthiopia’s recent decision
— Getachew K Reda (@reda_getachew) October 18, 2021
to move most of its workforce out of Mekelle &Tigray. Whatever the connections there, however, our people won’t be cowed into submission by a desperate move by a desperate regime teetering on the brink of collapse.#TigrayShallPrevail!
— Getachew K Reda (@reda_getachew) October 18, 2021
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.