Tigray Rebels Fight on as Blockade Continue

Commander of the rebel group in Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray, Gen. Tsadkan Gebretensae has insisted they will continue fighting until their terms for a truce are met.

The Ethiopian authority responded to the rebel’s conditions. He said the group aims to force the federal government to lift a blockade in the region and agree to a political solution to the crisis.

Thousands have been killed and millions of people displaced since the war broke out in November 2020.

Both sides have been accused of committing war crimes and violating human rights.

A UN estimate says over 400,000 people are living in famine, with access to the region still being hindered by the central government’s blockade.

Despite the government announcing a unilateral ceasefire in June after the rebels made significant gains, including the recapture of the region’s capital, it has continued to mobilise militia from other parts of the country to help stall the rebels’ advancement in neighbouring Amhara and Afar regions.

Gebretensae insisted that before a ceasefire is agreed upon, the federal government had to stop the persecution of Tigrayans, release political prisoners and accept an inclusive dialogue to determine the region’s future.

He said the conflict could have been avoided and accused Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of not willing to find a peaceful solution to the political stalemate between the federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).

Yesterday, a Sudanese official said local authorities in Kassala province found over 40 bodies, apparently, people fleeing the war in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, floating in the river between the countries over the past week, some with gunshot wounds or their hands bound.