Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called
the military intervention in the dissident region of Tigray (North) on Friday (November 6) a
"
law enforcement operation
", attempting to allay fears of escalation, but called on population to avoid gatherings so as not to be affected by "
air strikes
".
Read also: Ethiopia takes another step towards civil war
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he was "
deeply alarmed by the situation
" in Tigray, stressing that "
Ethiopia's stability is important for the entire Horn of Africa
".
He called for a "
peaceful resolution
" of the differences between Addis Ababa and the authorities of Tigray, bordering Eritrea and Sudan.
The leaders of the region, from the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF), a party which, for nearly 30 years and until the advent of Abiy Ahmed in 2018, dominated the power structures in Ethiopia, challenge the federal government for several months.
Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2019, Abiy Ahmed announced on Wednesday the launch of military operations, justified by attacks on military bases in Tigray, that the TPLF accuses the government of having invented.
"
The federal government has launched a large-scale law enforcement operation in the region
" of Tigray, the Prime Minister said in a statement on Friday.
Under the state of emergency proclaimed Wednesday, federal troops have the authority to "
disarm the security forces of the regional state
", he added.
Speaking in the evening on television in the language of Tigray, he announced “
air strikes
” which will
not target
“
civilians, but targets belonging to this dangerous group
” which is the TPLF according to him.
“
In order not to cause collateral damage, I call on civilians to reduce mass gatherings in cities,
” he continued.
A diplomatic source told AFP that he had received credible information about at least one airstrike this week near Tigray's main town, Mekele.
Blood donation for the troops
No official information is available on current operations.
The cut-off of the internet and telephone networks in Tigray makes it extremely difficult to verify the situation on the spot.
Diplomatic and humanitarian sources reported fighting in western Tigray, including the Amhara region to the south.
Read also: Ethiopia: military escalation in Tigray, placed in a state of emergency
About 25 fighters, mostly federal troops, were admitted to a hospital in the town of Abdurafi, in the Amhara region, where five deaths were reported, a humanitarian source said on Friday.
Some 50 other fighters were treated in the town of Dansha, and around 30 others were taken to a hospital in the town of Gondar, about 180 km south of the border between the two regions, according to the same source.
Residents of Gondar supported the forces deployed at the border by helping with blood drives or preparing rations of biscuits and water for them.
"
We donate our blood to support the Amahara fighters
," Robel Samuel, 28, told AFP after giving blood.
On Thursday, General Berhanu Jula, deputy chief of staff of the Ethiopian army, said Ethiopia had now "
entered the war
" against the authorities in Tigray.
The president of the region, Debretsion Gebremichael, had at the same time declared that Addis Ababa had started "
a war, an invasion
" against Tigray.
Read also: Ethiopia: the Tigray People's Liberation Front attacked a federal military base
The International Crisis Group (ICG) think tank warned Thursday against the risks of a prolonged confrontation, recalling that the authorities in Tigray can count on "
a large paramilitary force and a well-trained militia, whose combined strength is estimated to 250,000 men
”and“
seem to benefit from significant support from the six million Tigrayans
”.
The conflict could also undermine the already fragile stability of the second most populous country on the continent, an ethnic mosaic of 100 million inhabitants, recently shaken by episodes of community violence, but also the cohesion of the army, which has many officers. tigrayans.
The TPLF accuses Abiy Ahmed - an Oromo, the numerically largest ethnic group in Ethiopia - of gradually marginalizing the Tigrayan minority (6% of the population) within the ruling coalition, which the party has since left, positioning itself from facto in opposition.
Tensions have grown steadily since the August TPLF convened regional elections for the following month - which won almost all seats - violating Addis Ababa's postponement of all polls in Ethiopia due to the coronavirus.