Government forces and their allies in Ethiopia claim to have taken control of the strategic town of Alamata in the conflict-hit northern region of Tigray after days of fighting with rebel forces across multiple fronts. The Tigray Peace Force, an armed group composed of Tigrayan fighters aligned with the federal government, announced on Facebook that they had captured the town alongside the national army.
Alamata is strategically vital, located about 120km south of Tigray's capital, Mekelle, and serving as a supply hub for troops, fuel, and food. Video verified by Reuters showed soldiers walking through Alamata carrying Ethiopian flags. Two diplomatic sources also confirmed the town's fall, while a source linked to opposition forces said they were retreating.
The latest fighting erupted last week when Tigrayan rebel forces launched a major offensive, seizing three airports in Tigray and pushing into the neighbouring Afar and Amhara regions. The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) claims it is fighting a "defensive war," accusing federal forces of attacks using drones and heavy artillery. Federal forces and their allies have since counterattacked. On Sunday, the headquarters of Tigrai TV, seen as the key outlet for rebel authorities in Mekelle, was hit by a drone.
Fighting has spread across several fronts in northern Ethiopia, stretching across Tigray, Amhara, and Afar. In Afar, TPLF forces seized Erebti, a strategically important town, threatening supply routes from Djibouti through which most Ethiopian imports, including fuel, pass. The governor of Afar told Al Jazeera that Eritrean forces were participating in the fighting, controlled more than two-thirds of the region, and were moving to cut the road linking Djibouti and Eritrea. The Eritrean government has yet to respond to the allegations.
The conflict is already taking a devastating humanitarian toll. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported a surge in wounded patients in the north, with numbers at Korem and Alamata hospitals rising from about 180 to more than 420 in 48 hours. The cofounder of the Afar Pastoralist Development Association, Valerie Browning, told AP that about 150,000 people had been displaced since the latest fighting began. Internet and phone networks have been disrupted in Tigray.
At the centre of the conflict are Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government and the TPLF, which dominated Ethiopian politics for nearly three decades before Abiy came to power in 2018. The 2020-2022 war took a devastating human toll, with former Nigerian President and African Union mediator Olusegun Obasanjo estimating 600,000 deaths. Days before the latest offensive, the TPLF joined six other armed groups to form the Ethiopian Peoples' Forces Alliance for Survival, which aims to remove Abiy's government and establish a transitional administration.
The conflict also risks drawing in Ethiopia's neighbours. Ethiopia's army chief, Field Marshal Berhanu Jula, accused Eritrea of supporting the opposition and alleged that Sudan and Egypt are also providing backing. Eritrea and Sudan have denied the allegations. Egypt's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Nader Zaki told Reuters that its policy is based on "full respect for the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of states." In a post on X, Sudan described the accusations by Ethiopia's government as "baseless and unfounded," asserting they lacked any "foundation or evidence."
Source: www.aljazeera.com