Africa · updated 58m ago · 2 min read
Ethiopian Army Takes Control Of Alamata After Days Of Clashes With Tigray Rebels
Ethiopian government forces and allied militiamen captured Alamata after days of clashes. Alamata sits on a major highway into Tigray, its loss reverses rebel advances.
10 outlets told this the same way.
Outlets did split on Ethiopian Army Repels Attack Near Abera as Tigray People’s Liberation Front Declares Total War →
5 of 6 outlets skipped it: MSF says war-wounded patients rose sharply; Alamata Hospital activities suspended..
10outlets compared
Alamata changes hands
Ethiopian government forces and their allies said they had taken control of the town of Alamata in southern Tigray after days of clashes with rebel forces across multiple fronts. The Tigray Peace Force said in a Facebook statement that it had captured Alamata with the national army, and Reuters video verified soldiers walking through Alamata carrying Ethiopian flags. The fighting intensified after Tigrayan rebel forces launched a major offensive last week, seizing three airports in Tigray and pushing into the neighbouring Afar and Amhara regions.
The TPLF said it was fighting a “defensive war,” accusing federal forces of attacks using drones and heavy artillery, while federal government forces and their allies counterattacked. The Ethiopian military said about 270 Tigrayan fighters have been killed and more than 200 wounded in fighting around North Wollo, as the conflict spread across Tigray, Amhara, and Afar.
Claims, counterclaims, and drones
Getachew Berhane, a TPLF commander, told EFE that “We have withdrawn to the mountains that overlook the locality,” after clashes and the enemy captured Alamata. A military source told EFE that “We have taken Alamata and we will continue to cleanse the main cities of enemy forces,” while Reuters could not immediately verify video posted by the pro-government Tigrai Peace Force. The Tigray Peace Force announced on Facebook that it had taken control of Alamata, and Conflict monitor ACLED confirmed reports that federal forces had seized the town.
AFP reported that the Ethiopian federal army took control of Alamata just hours after a drone strike damaged a building of the state television network in Mekelle, and a Reuters reporter said, “We heard a loud explosion from a drone strike elsewhere and left the building.” The AFP account said the channel employs more than 400 journalists and suspended its live broadcast after the drone strike hit the Tigray television building.
Humanitarian strain and next steps
Médecins Sans Frontières said the number of war-wounded patients received at hospitals in Korem and Alamata rose from around 180 over a 48-hour period to more than 420. MSF said 300 wounded had arrived at Suhul Hospital last week, and MSF described the renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia as “very worrying.” MSF said activities at Alamata Hospital were suspended and outreach activities were suspended due to the security situation, while staff were redirected to provide additional support to hospitals.
Valerie Browning, cofounder of the Afar Pastoralist Development Association, told AP that about 150,000 people had been displaced since the latest fighting began. The renewed hostilities also raised fears of a return to the full-blown civil war of 2020-2022, which caused the deaths of an estimated 600,000 people, as the conflict threatened supply routes from Djibouti through which most Ethiopian imports, including fuel, pass.