Africa30 September, 20263 min read
Ethiopian Federal Forces Kill 52 Civilians In Fighting With TPLF Around Alamata
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At least 52 civilians killed in three days of fighting around Alamata, Tigray. Government troops took control of Alamata after clashes with the TPLF.
5 outlets told this the same way.
Alamata deaths and advance
Fighting between Ethiopian federal forces and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) killed 52 civilians during three days of heavy fighting around Alamata in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region, a medic told the BBC. Government troops took control of the town and intended to push north towards Mekelle, Tigray’s main city, with social media clips showing army tanks on Alamata’s streets. The BBC reported that clashes broke out last week after months of tension between the government and the party that controls Tigray, with both accusing each other of violating a 2022 deal that ended a two-year civil war. The BBC said the fighting also affected neighbouring regions, with 33 tourists stranded for the last week in Lalibela, a Unesco world heritage site, and it said 14 Israeli tourists had been evacuated by military helicopter on Monday. The BBC added that the doctor at Alamata General Hospital said twelve people had died in a single strike on the town’s marketplace.
Competing claims and access
The BBC reported that the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) said it was responding to a federal offensive, including drone strikes, while the government said Tigrayan forces attacked first after seizing control of airports in the region. The BBC said the BBC was unable to report from Tigray and surrounding areas and that communications to the region had been cut. A British tourist, who asked not to be named, said, "We have heard fighting, gunfire and artillery cannons firing throughout the week," about clashes near Lalibela in the Amhara region. The BBC said the fighting in the Lalibela area involved the army and an Amhara militia that had allied with Tigrayan fighters, and it said most visitors had been unable to leave since the airport closed to commercial flights last Wednesday. The BBC reported that banking services in Tigray had been suspended by the government and that access to the internet had also been cut, though it said it was not clear who ordered the closure.
Humanitarian strain and warnings
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) told the BBC that more than 700 wounded people had been admitted to hospitals it supports in Tigray, as the fighting continued around Alamata. The doctor at Alamata General Hospital described heavy explosives and artillery landing in residential homes and said those killed in the crossfire included children as young as three days old, mothers and cattle herders. The BBC reported that a separate source in Alamata said the humanitarian crisis was worsening as the town swelled with people fleeing fighting, and it quoted the source saying, "Unfortunately, everything is blocked - no banking service, no money transfer, no power, no internet, no phone." The Europa Press report said the United Nations expressed its “deep concern” about acts against personnel, property and humanitarian facilities in Ethiopia, especially in the north of the country, and stressed that it was “closely monitoring” the “rapid evolution” of the situation. Europa Press also quoted the UN humanitarian coordinator for Ethiopia, Ozonnia Ojielo, warning that the fighting raised “serious concerns regarding protection of civilians, especially those displaced by the previous conflict.”
“‘Unfortunately, everything is blocked - no banking service, no money transfer, no power, no internet, no phone.”