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| Africa Horn |
| Ethiopia Abiy Ultimatum to Tigray On the Table As Civilians Caught in Crossfire |
| 2020-11-25 |
| [All Africa] Æthiopia Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed reiterated his ultimatum to forces in Tigray to surrender or be attacked by a tank battalion that is in position outside of the regional capital Mekele, as international groups have continued to call for a protecting civilians.The 72-hour ultimatum ends on Wednesday, has not deterred the Tigrayan forces, who have claimed they destroyed an army division. Meanwhile, ...back at the wrecked scow, a single surviver held tightly to the smashed prow... Addis Ababa says that the regional fighters, who they deem are criminals on the run, are ready to surrender. There is a still a near-total information blackout in the heavily-armed northern Tigray region, where a war began three weeks ago. Reports coming out of the country cannot always be verified. According to a statement by the state-appointed Æthiopian Human Rights Commission on Tuesday, a group of Tigrayan youths allegedly stabbed, strangled and bludgeoned to death 600 people of non-Tigrayan origin on 9 November in Mai Kadra town. Tigrayan forces have previously denied any responsibility for the massacre. The former ruling party, TPLF, refused to join Abiy's coalition, holding regional elections two months ago that sparked even higher tensions, eventually leading to Abiy sending the national army to reportedly attack the region. CIVILIANS IN THE MIDDLE As the standoff continues, others point to the plight of civilians who are in the middle, as hundred have already died. Some two million people live in Tigray, and the region already hosts some 96,0000 refugees and 100,000 internationally displaced, according to UN figures. Ethiopia says 'large number' of Tigrayan fighters surrender [AlAhram] Æthiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government said on Tuesday that many Tigrayan militia and special forces were surrendering in line with an ultimatum before a threatened offensive against the regional capital Mekelle. "Using the government's 72-hour period, a large number of Tigray militia and special forces are surrendering. Many have surrendered through the Afar region, and the remaining forces are surrendering peacefully," a government taskforce said. There was no immediate response from the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which earlier said it had destroyed an important army division. Rooters has been unable to verify statements from either side since phone and internet connections to Tigray are down and access to the area is restricted. |
| Posted by:Fred |