Ethiopia’s Government Communication Service has confirmed that the Ethiopian Air Force destroyed a military training center of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) near Adi Hageray.
The statement added that large number of illegally recruited personnel taking military training at the location were killed.
The UN rights chief on Wednesday slammed the extreme brutality characterising the conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, following a joint UN-Ethiopian report warning of possible “crimes against humanity” by all sides.
“The Tigray conflict has been marked by extreme brutality,” Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a statement, adding “the gravity and seriousness of the violations and abuses we have documented underscore the need to hold perpetrators accountable on all sides.”
Her comments are coming after a joint investigation by her office and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) into abuses committed by both sides since the Tigray conflict exploded a year ago.
In a statement, Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat on Wednesday urged all parties to safeguard the territorial integrity, unity and national sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia, and called on the parties to engage in dialogue to seek a peaceful solution in the interests of the country.
The chairperson reminded the parties of their international obligations regarding compliance with international humanitarian and human rights law, with particular regard to the protection of civilians and ensuring access to humanitarian assistance by communities in need, the statement said.
An Oromo group allied with Tigrayan fighters said on Wednesday, as they advance southward, Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa could be overrun by rebels within “months if not weeks.”
The TPLF, which has been battling Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government for a year, has claimed significant territorial gains in recent days, along with its ally the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA).
The Ethiopian government had previously assigned an interim administration in Tigray after the ouster of the TPLF, which used to rule the region.
The Ethiopian government has declared a national state of emergency amid fears that Tigray insurgents are preparing to march on the capital.