Ethiopia Pushes for Tigray Capital, Denies ’Ethnic Bias’

By Staff, Agencies

The rulers of Ethiopia's rebellious Tigray region refused on Wednesday to surrender to federal troops and instead claimed they were winning a war that has exacerbated ethnic fractures in the vast nation and further destabilized the Horn of Africa.

"Tigray is now a hell to its enemies," they said in a statement on the two-week offensive against them.

"The people of Tigray will never kneel."

Ignoring international appeals for talks, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government is also claiming major victories and says its forces are marching on Tigray's capital Mekelle and will triumph shortly.

The war has killed hundreds and possibly thousands on both sides, sent 30,000 refugees fleeing into Sudan, and called into question the reputation of Africa's youngest leader who won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 for a peace pact with Eritrea.

Abiy, 44, ordered air strikes and sent soldiers into Tigray on November 4 after accusing the well-armed local ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front [TPLF], of revolt and an attack on a government base.

The TPLF says their former military comrade and one-time political partner has been persecuting their ethnic group and removing Tigrayan officials from senior security and government positions since he took office in 2018.

In a lengthy statement, the Tigrayan leaders accused federal forces of targeting civilians, churches and homes, while blocking internet, electricity and banking services. Hundreds of thousands of people have been uprooted from homes, it said.

Nevertheless, Tigrayan forces had captured tanks and artillery and would soon drive their enemies out despite being massively outnumbered, it added.

The government denies it is targeting civilians.