TPLF makes gains as Tigray war spills to neighbouring states

MEKELLE, Ethiopia - The Tigray People's Liberation Front [TPLF] made significant gains on Sunday following renewed hostilities in northern Ethiopia, despite efforts by the international community to negotiate a peace deal between the two former allies cum foes.

Ethiopia National Defense Forces [ENDF] is accused of triggering the fight on the southern front before bombarding Mekelle on Friday, in which leftover seven people dead. This activated TPLF which had retreated following a temporary ceasefire in the Horn of Africa nation.

And in just a matter of hours, the re-energized TPLF ran riot in some strategic towns within Amhara and Afar states, seizing two of them within a span of 24 hours. The TPLF announced the seizure of Kobo and Woldiya towns within Amhara even as it accused Amhara regional militia of working with the government.

In a statement, Ethiopia's ministry of foreign affairs confirmed that fighting had shifted from Tigray to Amhara and Afar while accusing TPLF of using children as human shields in its activities against the national forces stationed in northern command.

"TPLF's military "genius" has once again devised the tried and failed strategy of invading neighboring regions using human waves including children. The outcome will only be devastation. For the record, the conflict is in Amhara and Afar regions, not Tigray," read the statement.

Getachew Reda, the spokesperson of Tigray People's Liberation Front, had accused the national army of deploying" clueless" soldiers in the war and further claimed that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had significantly lost ground to TPLF in the latest hostility.

"The Abiy Regime is making more ill-fated adventures that are costing lives of 1000s of soldiers mostly press-ganged into the army. All desperate efforts by Abiy to regain lost ground are leading to the loss of more ground. Bottom line: Abiy cannot shoot his way out of this crisis," he said.

Global Alliance for the Rights of Ethiopians [GARE] announced that it has continued supporting citizens and rehabilitating hospitals that have been damaged by the TPLF invasion, state affiliate Fana reported.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, the organization's CEO Betru Gebre- Egziabher said that over the past two years his organization has been playing a great role in rehabilitating the displaced people following the Northern Ethiopia conflict outbreak.

He stressed that the organization has been providing citizens in need with support amounting to 250 to 300 million Birr in different forms through participating in activities organized by the Ethiopian Diaspora living in different parts of the world since its inception in 2013.

GAROWE ONLINE