Ethiopia: several towns in the Tigray region seized by government forces – Le Monde

In Shiré, a woman queues on Saturday October 15, 2022 to receive food aid in front of a primary school, temporarily transformed into a refuge for populations displaced by the conflict in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. BAZ RATNER / REUTERS Ethiopian and Eritrean forces took control of Shiré on Monday 17 October. This key city is located about fifty kilometers from the border with Eritrea, a country that borders the entire north of Tigray. The Ethiopian government has also announced that it has seized the towns of Alamata and Korem, “without urban fighting”, he said in a statement, ensuring that it is preparing the delivery of humanitarian aid and the restoration of services. in these areas. The command of the rebel forces in this northern region of Ethiopia for its part called on “all able-bodied Tigrayans” to “defend it stubbornly”, in a press release published on Tuesday. Shiré, which had a population of 100,000 before the conflict, hosts an airport and is on a road linking Makalé, the regional capital, about 300 km away. Thousands of people displaced by the conflict that has ravaged northern Ethiopia since November 2020 have found refuge there. The UN denounces an “alarming” level of violence On Tuesday, the new United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said he was “deeply disturbed” by a “significant risk of escalation” of the conflict in Ethiopia. After a five-month truce that gave hope for negotiations, fighting resumed on August 24 in the north of the country. Volker Türk appealed to all parties to the conflict to immediately cease all hostilities and work towards a peaceful and lasting solution. Read also: War in Tigray: the UN is alarmed by an “uncontrollable” situation in Ethiopia On Monday, the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, warned that “the situation in Ethiopia is getting out of control” and that “the violence and destruction are reaching alarming levels”, referring to the “terrible price paid by civilians” and the “nightmare” experienced by the Ethiopian population. According to United Nations figures, 31 civilians including children have lost their lives since August 31 and 73 others have been injured in 14 airstrikes launched by the Ethiopian Air Force in the Tigray region. “But of course, it is very likely that this figure is extremely underestimated,” Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, added during a press briefing in Geneva, due to including difficulties in terms of communications and access. Among those killed recently is a staff member of the NGO International Rescue Committee (IRC), who was part of a team providing humanitarian aid to women and children. Mr. Guterres called for “the immediate withdrawal and disengagement from Ethiopia of the Eritrean armed forces” which are supporting the Ethiopian federal troops in Tigray. He also called on “all parties” to allow the passage of humanitarian aid, which the UN has suspended since the resumption of fighting at the end of August. “Hostilities in Tigray must end now,” insisted Antonio Guterres, relaying a similar call for an “immediate” ceasefire launched on Sunday by the African Union (AU). Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers In Ethiopia, hopes for peace are dwindling again after five months of truce Le Monde with AFP