The current military operation in the dissident region of Tigray will be "
completed shortly,
" Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said on Monday (November 9th), trying to reassure his allies worried about Ethiopia heading towards civil war.
At the same time, the Ethiopian air force carried out new aerial bombardments on Monday in “
selected areas
” of Tigray, the Ethiopian army said.
Read also: Operations in Tigray: Ethiopia tries to reassure but announces airstrikes
The 2019 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Abiy launched an intervention in this northern region on November 4, in response to attacks on two federal military bases by the forces of the Tigrayan authorities - who denied them.
“
Concerns that Ethiopia will sink into chaos are unfounded and result from a deep misunderstanding of our context,
” Abiy wrote on Twitter on Monday.
“
Our operation to maintain order, as a sovereign state capable of managing its internal affairs, will soon end by putting an end to the existing impunity,
” he adds.
The Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF), the party that ruled the region and dominated power structures in Ethiopia for nearly 30 years, until Abiy became prime minister in 2018, has been challenging the government for several months. federal government authority.
Its leaders say they have since been unjustly targeted by anti-corruption prosecutions, removed from positions of responsibility and held responsible for all the ills of the country.
For his part, Abiy accuses the TPLF of seeking to undermine its reform agenda.
The tension between the Ethiopian federal government and the regional authorities of Tigray had increased considerably since the organization by the TPLF in September of regional elections, described as “
illegitimate
” by Addis Ababa.
For its part, the TPLF accused the Ethiopian air force on Monday of having bombed 10 localities in Tigray and claimed to have shot down one of its aircraft.
A senior Ethiopian army official, General Mohammed Tessema told public media EBC that the Ethiopian air force was carrying out aerial bombardments on "
selected targets
" and called "
completely false
" that a plane was shot by the TPLF.
On Sunday, the new army chief Berhanu Jula said the Ethiopian army had "
seized
" four villages in western Tigray, where the fighting has been concentrated.
The international community has expressed its concern to see the second most populous country in Africa sinking into a long conflict between the powerful federal army and the very seasoned Tigrayan security forces.
According to an AFP count based on testimonies from medical sources and aid workers, more than 200 soldiers were injured and eight killed.
The cut-off of the Internet and telephone networks in Tigray makes it extremely difficult to verify the situation on the spot.
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