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After the truce between the government and the Tigray rebels was broken, the Armed Forces shot down an air unit that came from Sudan and was allegedly carrying weapons for the insurgents in the northern region. The new escalation of tensions worries the international community and the UN Secretary called for “an immediate cessation of hostilities”.
This Wednesday, August 24, the Ethiopian Armed Forces reported that on Tuesday night they shot down a plane that apparently came from Sudan and was headed loaded with weapons towards the Tigray region, where the rebels in the area are on a war footing against the Government since 2020.
The head of the Ethiopian Army Deployment Department, General Tesfaye Ayalew, did not specify how many people were on board and stated that they estimate that “the plane is owned by the historical enemies of Ethiopia who collaborate with the Armed Forces of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Ethiopia.” Tigray (FPLT)”.
This event occurred prior to the announcement by the official Ethiopian Administration and the rebels about the resumption of aggression. Both sides have blamed each other for breaking the truce that was installed last March.
The FPLT pointed out that the Government unleashed “a broad offensive” in the south of Tigrin territory, deploying special troops and militias from the Amhara region. According to the rebel authorities, the Executive “intensified the genocidal war” against the people of Tigray.
In return, the Ethiopian Government Communication Service accused the FPLT of “officially” violating the ceasefire with an attack in the south of the region.
“Both their attack and the subsequent statement indicate that they were preparing for the provocation,” the national leaders pointed out and justified that the military mobilization is to counteract that aggression.
The UN, alarmed by the escalation of aggression
The Secretary General of the UN, António Guterres, showed uneasiness on Wednesday at the breaking of the truce between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray rebels.
“I am deeply shocked by the news,” he told reporters ahead of a Security Council meeting on the war in Ukraine.
In addition, the Portuguese diplomat stressed that the population affected by the crisis in the northern region “has already suffered too much” and called for “an immediate cessation of hostilities and the resumption of peace negotiations.”
The interruption of the “indefinite humanitarian truce” is a blow to the peace talks launched by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the TPLF.
Last August 2, the leader of the FPLT, Debretsion Gebremichael, had met in Mekele with the special envoys of the European Union and the United States in the Horn of Africa to guide the dialogue and set conditions.
The armed confrontation escalated on November 4, 2020, when Ahmed approved an offensive against the PFLT in retaliation for an attack on a federal military base.
The balance has resulted in thousands of deaths and around two million inhabitants had to leave their homes as a result of the violence.
with EFE
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