ETHIOPIA’S TIGRAY CONFLICT: UNILATERAL CEASEFIRE DECLARED

NNA – Ethiopia’s government has declared a ceasefire in its war-torn Tigray region, as rebel fighters claim control of the regional capital Mekelle.

Residents reported scenes of jubilation with thousands of people in the streets waving flags and setting off fireworks.

The Ethiopian government has not confirmed the loss of the city, nearly eight months after its forces ousted the Tigrayan rebels.

The conflict has pushed the region into a deep humanitarian crisis.

More than five million people are in urgent need of food aid, the United Nations says, with 350,000 facing famine.

Ethiopia’s government launched an offensive to oust the region’s ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), last November.

The party had had a massive fallout with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed over political changes to the country’s ethnically based federal system, though the TPLF’s capture of military bases in Tigray was the catalyst for the invasion.

All sides have been accused of carrying out mass killings and human rights violations, while thousands of people have been killed.—BBC

Source: National News Agency