Fresh fighting in Ethiopia’s Afar as army mounts ‘offensive’
Fighting has resumed in northern Ethiopia's Afar region after a month-long lull, humanitarian and rebel sources told AFP yesterday, as the government appeared to be pressing a new offensive.
There were reports of an armed clash Tuesday in the town of Awra, in Afar's Fenti zone, including use of heavy weapons by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) that killed multiple civilians, the humanitarian sources said.
The reports could not be independently verified and officials in Afar could not be reached for comment.
TPLF spokesman Getachew Reda denied claims the rebels had used heavy weapons against civilians but confirmed there had been fresh hostilities in Afar.
"Enemy forces are crumbling and in disarray in parts of Afar," he said, describing fighting along the border between Afar and Amhara regions.
"We do not target civilians and the alleged artillery attack is yet another [fictitious] accusation to tarnish our forces' reputation."
For nearly a week humanitarian and rebel sources have been reporting signs of a government offensive that could potentially mark a new phase of the 11-month-old war in northern Ethiopia.
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