Ethiopian pro-government forces claim capture of strategic Tigray town

Ethiopia's ‌military ​and allied militiamen captured a strategic town in the conflict-hit region of Tigray, a pro-government militia said on Monday, turning the tables after an opposition offensive launched from the region last week.

Video posted by the pro-government Tigrai Peace Force on its Facebook page and verified by Reuters showed soldiers marching through the streets of Alamata, a town ‌about 120 km (75 miles) south of Tigray's capital of Mekelle, waving Ethiopian flags. Two diplomatic sources also said the town had fallen, while a source with links to pro-opposition forces told Reuters they were retreating from Alamata and expected the town to be under the federal military's control in a matter of hours.

The latest fighting pits Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government against the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), a guerrilla movement turned political party that dominated Ethiopian politics for nearly three decades until ‌Abiy took office in 2018. Spokespeople for the Ethiopian military and the TPLF did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The capture of Alamata would be a major boon to federal forces as they press towards the regional ‌capital Mekelle, about 120 km (75 miles) to the north. An important supply hub for troops, food and fuel near Tigray's southern border with the neighbouring Amhara region, Alamata changed hands several times during a 2020-2022 civil war between federal forces and TPLF fighters. The fighting in Tigray and the neighbouring regions of Amhara and Afar marks the collapse of a fragile, four-year-old peace deal that ended one of Africa's deadliest recent conflicts and raises the prospect of a broader war.

The renewed conflict adds to instability in the Horn of Africa, already unsettled by Sudan's civil war, frictions ⁠over Red Sea access ​and spillover from Middle East conflicts. ETHIOPIAN MILITARY ACCUSES NEIGHBOURS ⁠OF BACKING OPPOSITION

The 2020-2022 civil war stemmed from a breakdown in relations between the TPLF and Abiy. In recent months, the TPLF and the federal government have traded accusations of violating the Pretoria Agreement, the November 2022 deal that ended that war. 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.

In comments broadcast on state media on Sunday, the top Ethiopian military commander, Berhanu Jula, reiterated accusations that Ethiopia's neighbour and historical rival Eritrea was supporting the opposition ​forces, alongside Sudan's armed forces and Egypt. Eritrea and Sudan's army have denied the allegations.

In a response to questions from Reuters, Egypt's foreign ministry spokesperson Nader Zaki said the country's policy is "full respect for ⁠the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of states ... and rejection of any practices that could undermine regional peace and stability." TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS REMAIN DOWN IN TIGRAY

The conflict has raised fears of a return to the humanitarian crisis experienced during the 2020-2022 war when the federal government severed communications with Tigray ⁠and access ​to food, cash and medicines was severely restricted. The region is yet to recover and now faces drought linked to El Nino.

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. Daniel Meruts, a lawyer from Mekelle, told Reuters he had been stranded in Addis Ababa since the TPLF ⁠took over three airports in Tigray last week and flights were suspended.

“After communication, internet and phone lines were shut down, I haven't been able to connect with family...It is very heavy,” he said. French aid group Medecins Sans ⁠Frontieres said it was seeing a sharp increase in war casualties ⁠at hospitals in Tigray.

The pace of war-wounded patients arriving at hospitals in the towns of Korem and Alamata more than doubled last week, it said late Monday. The International Committee of the Red Cross in Ethiopia said on Monday that it evacuated 161 people from Mekelle to the capital of neighbouring Afar state, including African Union monitors, federal ‌police, Ethiopian Airlines employees and Red Cross ‌staff.