Ethiopia: Army chief accuses Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of supporting TPLF

Ofighting began on Wednesday in the north of the country, where the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), a political formation that actually governs that region, said it was responding to a “invasion” of the country's federal forces.

Since then, fighting has been reported in the neighbouring regional states of Amhara and Afar in border areas with Tigray. The evolution of combat is, however, difficult to specify since most communications are cut off in Tigray.

“ We are fighting organized and allied forces that serve the interests of external forces,” said Ethiopia’s chief of staff, Birhanu Jula, via Youtube.

“ Neither Eritrea nor TPLF can achieve anything by itself, even allies, unless they are supported and supplied by Sudan, Egypt and other external powers,” Jula said.

Today, a ‘drone’ attacked a building that housed Tigray’s official television in Mekele, capital of this northern regional state of Ethiopia, whose rebel authorities claim to be in “total war” against the federal government, according to several journalists from the station to the France Presse Agency (AFP).

Seven rebel groups that have been fighting Ethiopian authorities in different parts of the country announced last Sunday the formation of an alliance to overthrow the Government in Addis Ababa.

Between November 2020 and November 2022, the conflict in the Tigray region was one of the most deadly on the planet in recent years, with at least 600,000 dead.

During this conflict, the federal government also cut off all telecommunications and the internet in Tigray, as well as suspending electricity supply and banking services. The regional state was deprived of humanitarian aid for several months, which pushed it to the brink of starvation.

On Friday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, was alarmed at the impact on combat civilians in northern Ethiopia between the federal government and armed groups.

At the beginning of the week, the chairman of the African Union Commission expressed deep concern at the resumption of tensions and military escalation in northern Ethiopia, including the taking and occupation of Mekelle, Axum and Shire airports.

The situation has been very tense for several months in Tigray, with federal and local troops concentrated at the borders of this state, bordering Eritrea and Sudan.