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2021-12-19 Africa Horn
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Ethiopia forces claim recapturing of towns from Tigray rebels
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[Garowe] Æthiopian forces have recaptured several towns from Tigrayan rebels, including Kobo and Woldiya in the north, the government announced on Saturday, as fierce fighting raged in the 13-month war that has left thousands dead.
The conflict between forces loyal to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) rebel group has triggered a severe humanitarian crisis.
Mr. Abiy announced last month that he would head to the front, following which the government has claimed to have retaken several key towns.
On Saturday, the government communication service said pro-Abiy forces "have managed to fully control Sanqa, Sirinqa, as well as the cities of Woldiya, Hara, Gobiye, Robit, and Kobo."
"The enemy force which beat feet from destruction and was fleeing... is being followed by our allied forces," it said in a statement on its Facebook page.
Starting late October, the two sides have each claimed major territorial advances with several key cities apparently changing hands in the weeks since.
On Sunday, the rebels recaptured the UNESCO World Heritage site of Lalibela, 11 days after Æthiopian forces claimed to have retaken it from the TPLF.
The war broke out in November 2020 when Mr. Abiy sent troops into Æthiopia's northernmost region of Tigray to topple the TPLF, accusing them of attacking army camps.
He vowed a swift victory but the rebels mounted a shock comeback, recapturing most of Tigray by June before advancing into the neighboring regions of Afar and Amhara, where Kobo and Woldiya are located.
The fighting has displaced more than two million and driven hundreds of thousands into famine-like conditions, according to UN estimates, with reports of massacres and mass rapes by both sides.
On Friday, the UN Human Rights Council voted to send international Sherlocks to Africa's second most populous nation amid warnings of looming generalized violence, in a move slammed by Addis Ababa.
Diplomatic efforts led by the African Union
...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful...
to try to reach a ceasefire have failed to achieve any visible breakthrough.
Fears of a rebel march on the capital prompted countries such as the United States, La Belle France, and Britannia to urge their citizens to leave Æthiopia as soon as possible, although Mr. Abiy's government has insisted the city was secure. 
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Posted by trailing wife 2021-12-19 00:09||
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