Ethiopian army marches on ‘treasonous’ Tigray region as ethnic conflict worsens

Troops are moving into Tigray to attack the rebellious northern government

Credit: AP

Ethiopian forces were marching on Tigray’s capital on Wednesday, the federal government said, as fighting in the country entered its third week amid rising fears of a humanitarian crisis.

It came amid claims of ethnic Tigrayans being profiled across the country, with federal authorities announcing arrest warrants for 76 army officers, some retired, who are accused of "committing treason" by conspiring with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which governs the Tigray region.

The government also disarmed several hundred Tigrayan soldiers working as African Union peacekeepers in Somalia, according to Reuters. Officials claimed the soldiers’ disarmament was not "due to ethnicity but due to infiltration of TPLF elements… which is part of an ongoing investigation.”

Ethiopia has long been divided along ethnic lines and has a federal system under which the major ethnic groups administer their own regions.

Federal army chief Berhanu Jula said Wednesday his forces were "winning on all fronts" and that the TPLF was "in a desperate mode as it is surrounded".

Massive numbers of civilians have been displaced

Credit: AP

But Tigray’s leaders hit back, claiming to be "inflicting heavy defeats" and insisting they would not surrender. "Tigray is now a hell to its enemies," the local government said in a statement.

A communications blackout means it is difficult to verify the competing claims and the picture of the state of play on the ground remains confused.

However, humanitarian reports suggest massive displacement and civilian injuries, as well as rising hunger. The International Committee of the Red Cross said there is no electricity and limited water in Tigray’s capital Mekele, while hospital supplies are also running low. The United Nations warned that aid is being blocked from reaching people in need.

More than 1,000 foreign citizens are believed to be trapped alongside Tigray’s residents as routes in and out of the region are blocked and humanitarians say Tigrayans fear attack if they manage to flee into other regions.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government moved to dismiss those fears Wednesday, saying its operation against Tigray’s leadership is "primarily" targeting members of the ruling circle. It denied that federal troops were hitting civilian targets and said the operation had no "ethnic or other bias”.

Fighting broke out in early November following weeks of tensions between Mr Abiy and the TPLF, a powerful regional authority that once dominated Ethiopian politics but has felt marginalised since Abiy came to power.

Nearly 30,000 Ethiopians have now fled into neighbouring Sudan and analysts say the hostilities could destabilise the entire Horn of Africa region.