Diplomats: Eritrean and Ethiopian army offensive in Tigray risk civilian bloodbath

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The ongoing offensive by Ethiopian National Defense Forces [ENDF] and Eritrean troops in northern Ethiopia could result in a bloodbath of civilians in the Tigray region, diplomats have warned, noting that pushing Tigray People's Liberation Front [TPLF] from strategic towns would be detrimental.

With the offensive entering the third month following renewed hostilities, most towns in the country have run out of food, risking further deaths due to the blockade imposed on humanitarian teams by authorities in Addis Ababa according to reports.

Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, the World Health Organization chief, who is from Tigray, claims most parts of Tigray are being bombed by the troops, with civilians being on target. Since the renewed fighting, statistics have shown, over 50 people mainly children have been killed.

For 23 months, the Ethiopian National Defense Forces have been at loggerheads with Tigray People's Liberation Front, leading to the deaths of thousands of people with others being displaced from their homes. Both parties have often claimed victory.

Efforts by the African Union to instill dialogue are yet to bear fruits but the TPLF has often maintained that it's ready for talks just like Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Several diplomatic teams have been calling for a ceasefire in the region for the sake of humanitarian assistance.

The EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell expressed horror at the violence in the Shire, often directed at civilians, the BBC reports. On Friday an aid worker attached to International Rescue Committee was reportedly killed in Tigray by the national army.

If Ethiopian and Eritrean troops took control of them during the current offensive there was a "significant risk of further assaults and killings being perpetrated against civilians", the US Aid chief Samantha Power said.

"The staggering human cost of this conflict should shock the world's conscience," she added.

Reports indicate that even with rationed food in Tigray and, or lack of it, more Tigrayans are joining TPLF to defend themselves from the aggression. The differences between the two parties are both political and historical, something which could take more time before an amicable solution is reached.

Kjetil Tronvoll, a professor in conflict studies at the Oslo New University College in Norway, says World War One tactics are being used by Ethiopia's and Eritrea's infantry forces who are pushing "massive human waves" on Tigrayan defensive lines.

TPLF has managed to protect most parts of the region from ENDF and Eritrean army aggressions, thus making it difficult for the forces to penetrate. The US has been on the frontline pushing for a settlement of the conflict but to date, nothing tangible has been achieved.

GAROWE ONLINE