Rebel Tigray forces gain control over Ethiopia’s regional capital; decline ceasefire offer

Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), June 30 (ANI): Rebels in Ethiopia’s Tigray region have taken control over the capital Makele region, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front said in a statement.

The Ethiopian government has declared a unilateral cease-fire on Monday but rebel forces have rejected the offer from the central government, raising fears of further violence, CNN reported.

Thousands of people have been killed since fighting broke out in November 2020, and more than 2 million people have been displaced in Ethopia’s northern region.

Supporters of Tigray rebel forces have been celebrating TPLF’s victory in Makele. An official from the interim government of Addis Ababa spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the situation told The Washington Post: “People are firing fireworks, hooting horns, shouting in groups, the interim government’s top leadership had all left Mekele.”

According to Washington Post, foremost among the major crises is the disastrous seven-month-old civil war in the northern region of Tigray, where a powerful regional political party is waging a guerilla-style conflict against Ethiopia’s military. The Ethiopian military has aligned with forces from neighboring Eritrea and Ethiopia’s Amhara region.

All sides have been accused of war crimes, and humanitarian groups say hundreds of thousands in Tigray are experiencing famine conditions.

Meanwhile, the election was weakened by widespread insecurity, logistical issues, and political disputes, while a fifth of polling stations in the rest of the country was not opened due to security concerns or improperly printed ballots, according to the country’s election commission.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power in 2018 on a wave of discontent against “a system of ethnic favoritism” accompanied by the authoritarian, Tigrayan-led regime that had ruled the country for decades.

After Mekelle’s capture, the Ethiopian government announced a unilateral ceasefire for several months. But Tigrayan forces ruled out a truce. The spokesman of Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) expressed that their forces would not rest until the Ethiopian military and its allies leave the entire region.

The US mission to the UN has called for an open meeting in the UN Security Council to discuss the situation in Ethiopia. (ANI)