Security situation remains volatile across Tigray, Afar, and Amhara as embassy warns citizens against travel
Borkena Desk
TORONTO, Canada —The United States Embassy in Addis Ababa has released an alert in a month regarding the security situation in the country.
The latest alert seems to confirm that there is still fighting in the Tigray region of Ethiopia although the regional capital Mekelle is not experiencing active fighting. In an interview with Anchor Media on Thursday, the TPLF spokesperson Dr. Abraham Hagos stated that the organization has finalized preparation for counter-offensive and is reorganized for combat in five fronts.
The statement from the Embassy on Wednesday this week stated “Fighting in Tigray appears to be concentrated in areas outside Mekelle and near the border with Eritrea.”
It noted that Ethiopian Airlines flights to Shire and Axum, in the Tigray region remain suspended.
As was the case with the travel advisory at the beginning of this month, the U.S. Embassy advised citizens to reconsider travelling to Ethiopia and avoid traveling to Afar, Amhara and Tigray regions of Ethiopia. It also advised citizens who are already in those areas to leave if safe to do so.
Also, the embassy highlighted the security situation in Moyale, a border town between Ethiopia and Kenya where there had been intense conflict earlier this week. It stated that ” The embassy also continues to monitor ongoing fighting in Moyale, the primary border with Kenya, shared by both the Oromia and Somali regions, which appears to have calmed.” However, it warned that the situation “may change at any time.”
Among the actions the embassy recommended to citizens is to avoid “military installations.” Earlier this month, the U.S. disclosed military attacks targeting the capital Addis Ababa as local sources were reporting a drone attack targeting Defense Force Headquarters in the capital Addis Ababa – which Ethiopia did not confirm. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio linked the attacks to what he described as “separatists.”
Notably, seven armed groups operating in the different parts of the country formed a coalition in September. It was within less than three weeks after the announcement of the coalition that the Ethiopian Defense Force launched its military operation in the Tigray region. Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) fighters withdrew from many towns in the region including Mekelle which they describe as “strategic retreat”
However, media outlets affiliated with the government claim that the TPLF was militarily defeated and is now waging a guerilla war across Northern Tigray. On Friday, Samora Yenus, former defense chief and TPLF member, stated that the TPLF was defeated. He added “Guerilla war is no longer viable in the Tigray region.”
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