Forces in Ethiopia’s Tigrayan region are accused of firing rockets into neighboring Amhara in an internal conflict gripping the West African nation.
The communications office of the Amhara government said the attack targeted an airport in Bahir Dar, the capital of the region, according to Reuters. It added that the rockets didn’t cause any damage.
The fighting has escalated since it began on Nov. 4 after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed accused Tigray’s forces of attacking federal troops. The prime minister said he wanted to hinder Tigray’s military capabilities.
The Tigray People’s Liberation Front, or TPLF, was the dominant party of the ruling coalition, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front, for many years. That coalition appointed Abiy as prime minister in 2018. Shortly thereafter, Abiy disbanded the coalition and created the Prosperity Party. The TPLF strongly opposed its formation and did not join.
Ethiopia’s government said it is closing in on Mekelle, Tigray’s capital, and that it has already taken control of two other cities in the region.
The TPLF took responsibility earlier in November for another set of rockets fired into the region, which it said was retaliation for airstrikes from Ethiopian forces.
As phone and internet communications have been almost entirely cut off by the Ethiopian government, it’s been difficult for media outlets to verify assertions from both sides. This is all happening as Ethiopian government forces took two towns while they make their way to Mekelle in an effort to quell the internal conflict.
Tens of thousands of refugees have left Ethiopia and fled to neighboring countries. The United Nations said it is preparing for as many as 200,000 refugees to enter Sudan.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article stated that the TPLF was the ruling party of Ethiopia until Abiy became prime minister in 2018. The TPLF was instead a political party within the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front. The Washington Examiner regrets the error.
