(6 minutes read)
· The dismissed Tigrinya regional government has fired rockets at two airports in the neighboring Amhara region in Ethiopia
· The region’s group spearheading the protests is also hurling threats that they would continue with further retaliation and Asmara in Eritrea could be targeted next
· The international community is strongly pitching for the end of the conflict through negotiations
The reports coming from Ethiopia suggest that things are taking a turn for the worse in the Tigrinya region. The dismissed Tigrinya regional government has fired rockets at two airports in the neighboring Amhara region in Ethiopia. The region’s group spearheading the protests is also hurling threats that they would continue with further retaliation and Asmara in Eritrea could be targeted next.
The Gondar and Bahir Dar airports in Ethiopia were damaged in the strikes as confirmed by the Ethiopian federal government authorities. Sources said that conflict may spread to other parts of Ethiopia. Targeting Eritrea by the Tigrinya protesters can also lead to spill over of the violence to other countries in the Horn of Africa. Sources say since the outbreak of violence on November 4, hundreds of people from both sides have lost their lives and several thousand Ethiopians are fleeing to nearby countries like Sudan.
Independent analysts say that the present friction can precipitate into a war like situation and inter-ethnic conflict. Coming in the midst of Covid-19 pandemic, this can have grave consequences, apart from affecting the livelihood of many people.
Tigray region lies in the Northern part of Ethiopia. The East African country is the second most populated country in Africa, after Nigeria. Tigray region is still under an officially declared state of emergency. Curfew has been imposed in many parts and the communication channels including the internet are disrupted.
As reported by www.trendsnafrica.com, Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered military operations in Tigray last week to counter the attacks on two federal military camps by the Tigrayan regional authorities. The Trigrayan group, which ruled the roost before Abiy Ahmed came into power feels that they are now being sidelined and unfairly treated. The international community is strongly pitching for the end of the conflict through negotiations. Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations Human Rights Chief issued a warning on possible war crimes in Tigray. The UN’s Special Adviser on the prevention of genocide, Pramila Patten, also condemned the ongoing conflicts and warned that it has the potential to develop into all out war, affecting thousands of civilians.
There are reports that the kind gestures showered by the Sudanese village people living near the borders to help the Ethiopian refugees are now concerned about the influx since it will strain on their already limited resources.
