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| Africa Horn |
| Ethiopia's war-scarred Tigray region regains some services |
| 2020-12-15 |
| [Al Ahram] Æthiopia sent civil servants in Tigray back to work on Monday and ordered gun owners to disarm as Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government sought to show normality in the still-isolated northern region after weeks of war. Some power and telephone links were also restored in regional capital Mekelle after a virtual communications blackout since federal troops’ Nov. 4 offensive. But there were reports of massive fuel and food price hikes, plus water shortages. Tigray is still off-limits to journalists without a permit. Abiy has declared victory over the former local ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). The powerful TPLF dominated federal government for nearly three decades before he took office in 2018 - and they had feuded since then. Thousands of people are believed killed and nearly a million fled their homes during air-strikes and ground battles in Tigray that exposed bitter ethnic divisions around the vast nation. The government seized Mekelle, home to 500,000 people, on Nov. 28, and released a video last week entitled "Normalcy in the eyes of the residents" featuring interviews with Tigrayans. The government said mobile voice services in Mekelle and six other towns had been restored, and that electricity was also back in the regional capital. However, women are made to be loved, not understood... of 18 calls Rooters made to Mekelle on Monday, only three connected. The civil aviation authority said it reopened airspace in Tigray region at 2 pm (11 am GMT) on Monday. |
| Posted by:Fred |