Ethiopia said yesterday that pro-government forces had recaptured of Shewa Robit, around 220 kilometres (135 miles) from the capital Addis Ababa by road, after Tigrayan rebels claimed control of the town last week as part of their advance towards the capital.

Government spokesman Legesse Tulu said Shewa Robit was among several small towns retaken by forces loyal to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who last week announced he would head to the battlefield as fighting reportedly rages on at least three fronts in the country.

"In Shewa front, the Mezezo, Molale, Shewa Robit, Rasa and its surroundings have been freed from the terrorist TPLF," Legesse said in comments broadcast on state media, referring to the Tigray People's Liberation Front which has been locked in a war with Abiy's government since November 2020.

The conflict took a sharp turn around a month ago, when the TPLF claimed to have captured the strategic towns of Dessie and Kombolcha, located on a key highway to the capital.

Legesse said the government would "in a short period of time" retake Dessie and Lalibela, a UNESCO World Heritage site which fell to the rebels in August, even as fighting reportedly spreads to Debre Sina, a town located less than 200 kilometres by road from Addis Ababa.