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Fighting and gunshots have been reported in Tigray after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered a military offensive in the region in northern Ethiopia. Military operations in the region have commenced, Abiy's spokeswoman Billene Seyoum told the Reuters news agency on Wednesday. Internet access monitor NetBlocks said internet and mobile lines in the region have been shut down.
Analysts have been warning for months that rising tensions between the federal government and the TPLF could spill into civil war. The row escalated in September after Tigray held regional elections in defiance of the federal government, which called the vote "illegal".
Ludger Schadomsky, Head of DW's Ethiopian language service said the escalation came as "no surprise" to Ethiopia observers. Tigrayans dominated Ethiopia's politics from 1991 to 2018 but their power has waned since April 2018. "Both sides have been locked in an increasingly bitter stand-off since Abiy came to power," Schadomsky said. "There doesn't appear to be much space for last-minute negotiations at this point."
Tigray's president, Debretsion Gebremichael, had warned on Monday that Abiy's government was planning to attack the region in punishment for holding regional elections in September. Tigray held the polls after the federal government postponed elections scheduled for August 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Tigray opposition politicians accuse Abiy of using the pandemic to extend his time in office.
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Analysts have been warning for months that rising tensions between the federal government and the TPLF could spill into civil war. The row escalated in September after Tigray held regional elections in defiance of the federal government, which called the vote "illegal".
Ludger Schadomsky, Head of DW's Ethiopian language service said the escalation came as "no surprise" to Ethiopia observers. Tigrayans dominated Ethiopia's politics from 1991 to 2018 but their power has waned since April 2018. "Both sides have been locked in an increasingly bitter stand-off since Abiy came to power," Schadomsky said. "There doesn't appear to be much space for last-minute negotiations at this point."
Tigray's president, Debretsion Gebremichael, had warned on Monday that Abiy's government was planning to attack the region in punishment for holding regional elections in September. Tigray held the polls after the federal government postponed elections scheduled for August 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Tigray opposition politicians accuse Abiy of using the pandemic to extend his time in office.
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For more news go to: http://www.dw.com/en/
Follow DW on social media:
►Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deutschewellenews/
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#Ethiopia #Tigray #AfricaNews
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