Ethiopia’s military and allied militiamen captured the strategic town of Alamata south of Tigray’s \u200bcapital, a pro-government militia said on Monday, turning the tables after an opposition offensive launched from the region last \u200cweek.<\/p>\n
Video posted by the pro-government Tigrai Peace Force on its Facebook page showed soldiers marching through the streets, waving Ethiopian flags. Reuters could not immediately verify the video.<\/p>\n
Two diplomatic sources also said the town had fallen, while a third said the pro-government forces had entered but it was not yet clear \u200bwhether they were fully in control.<\/p>\n
Spokespeople for the Ethiopian military and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which is leading the \u200barmed resistance to the federal government, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n
The capture of Alamata \u2060would be a major boon to federal forces as they press towards the regional capital Mekelle, about 120 km (75 miles) to the \u200bnorth. An important supply hub for troops, food and fuel near Tigray’s southern border with the neighbouring Amhara region, Alamata exchanged hands \u200bseveral times during a 2020-2022 civil war.<\/p>\n
ETHIOPIAN MILITARY ACCUSES NEIGHBORS OF BACKING OPPOSITION<\/strong><\/p>\n The fighting since last Wednesday in Tigray and the neighboring regions of Amhara and Afar has shattered a four-year-old peace deal, the Pretoria Agreement, that ended fighting that killed hundreds of thousands of people.<\/p>\n The 2020-2022 civil war stemmed from \u200ba breakdown in relations between the TPLF, a guerrilla movement turned political party that dominated Ethiopian politics for nearly three decades, and \u200bAbiy, whose appointment as prime minister in 2018 ended the TPLF\u2019s dominance.<\/p>\n In recent months, the TPLF and federal government have traded accusations of violating the \u200cNovember 2022 \u2060agreement. Three days before launching its offensive, the TPLF announced a new alliance with six other armed groups across Ethiopia aimed at overthrowing Abiy’s government.<\/p>\n The renewed conflict adds to instability,\u00a0in the Horn of Africa, already unsettled by Sudan’s civil war, frictions over Red Sea access and spillover from Middle East conflicts.<\/p>\n In comments broadcast on state media on Sunday, the top Ethiopian military commander, Berhanu Jula, reiterated previous accusations \u200bthat Ethiopia’s neighbour and historical rival \u200bEritrea was supporting the opposition \u2060forces, alongside Sudan’s armed forces and Egypt.<\/p>\n Eritrea and Sudan’s army have denied the allegations. Egypt did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS REMAIN DOWN IN TIGRAY<\/strong><\/p>\n The conflict has raised fears \u200bof a return to the humanitarian crisis experienced during the 2020-2022 war when the federal government \u200bsevered communications with \u2060Tigray and access to food, cash and medicines was severely restricted.<\/p>\n In Tigray, internet and phone networks remained disrupted for a fourth day. Four sources told Reuters on Friday that the TPLF had ordered the networks shut down. The TPLF has not responded to requests for comment about this.<\/p>\n Tigray \u2060is yet \u200bto recover from the devastating humanitarian toll of the 2020-2022 war, which pushed hundreds \u200bof thousands into famine conditions. Around 750,000 Tigrayans were still internally displaced as of February, according to the UN refugee agency, and the region is facing drought \u200blinked to El Nino.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ethiopia’s military and allied militiamen captured the strategic town of Alamata south of Tigray’s \u200bcapital, a pro-government militia said on Monday, turning the tables after an opposition offensive launched from the region last \u200cweek. Video posted by the pro-government Tigrai Peace Force on its Facebook page showed soldiers marching through the streets, waving Ethiopian flags. 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