Ethiopia has revealed some Tigrayan fighters are undefeated, days after the country declared it had grounded the rebellious forces in a final offensive.
Redwan Hussein, Spokesman of the Ethiopian Task Force on Tigray Crisis said there are still elements of rebellion still fought by the country. He said the control hasn’t been total yet as there are still fighters in Mekelle, the Tigrayan capital.
“There are a few remnants of the militia or special forces not yet controlled,” he told reporters.
Redwan said sporadic shootings haven’t stopped in Mekelle despite the initial claims of victory by the Ethiopian government.
Tigray, the northern part of Ethiopia with 6% of the country’s population has locked horns with the national government for more than a month.
Read: No Civilian Casualty, Property Destruction In Mekelle Takeover
The war has seen at least 50,000 people displaced to Sudan while over 100,000 refugees are in Mekelle.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had said that the Ethiopian forces had launched a final clearance of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) forces in a final offensive.
While Mr Ahmed claimed that no civilian was hit, Debretsion Gebremichael, leader of the TPLF said several civilians were hit in the offensive. He also accused Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers of looting in Mekelle.
Ethiopia has refused every mediation so far, with the US recently stating that Eritrea may have been involved in providing support to its neighbours in hitting Mekelle.
On Tuesday, the UN also claimed that diplomats were hit in Mekelle.
TPLF forces have refused to back down from the clashes against Ethiopia, as they tackle the government of Mr Ahmed which has been tagged illegal.
The Prime Minister had in August, postponed the election over COVID-19 fears. He became Prime Minister just over two years ago, displacing a Tigrayan leadership that has been there for 27 years.