[GaroweOnline] Æthiopian federal forces and allied militias are advancing toward Mekelle, the capital of the northern Tigray region, as fighting intensifies between the government and an armed alliance led by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), Rooters reported Friday.
The pro-government Tigray Peace Forces militia said it had captured Milazat, a town about 20 kilometres (12 miles) southeast of Mekelle. Videos posted on social media appeared to show fighters in the town, but Rooters said it could not independently verify the footage. Æthiopian government and military officials, as well as the TPLF, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the reported advance.
The Æthiopian military and allied forces have reported rapid advances in Tigray since fighting erupted again last week. The renewed conflict is the most serious escalation in the region since the 2020-2022 war between the federal government and the TPLF, which killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions.
Fear was growing in Mekelle on Friday as residents prepared for the possibility that the fighting could reach the city. Two residents told Rooters that banks and most shops had closed. A diplomatic source also said some senior TPLF leaders had already left Mekelle, although the source said fighting could continue even if federal forces captured the regional capital.
TPLF chairman Debretsion Gebremichael acknowledged that federal forces had taken control of parts of Tigray but said his forces would launch a counterattack. The latest fighting follows the formation by the TPLF and six other Æthiopian gangs of an alliance that says it seeks to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government.
The escalation has coincided with a sharp deterioration in Æthiopia's relations with Eritrea
...is run by the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), with about the amounts of democracy and justice you'd expect from a party with that name. National elections have been periodically scheduled and cancelled; none have ever been held in the country. The president, Isaias Afewerki, has been in office since independence in 1993 and will probably die there of old age...
. Addis Ababa said Thursday it was closing its embassy in Asmara and ordered 10 Eritrean diplomats to leave Æthiopia within 48 hours, accusing Eritrea of acts of hostility. Eritrea subsequently announced that it was severing diplomatic ties with Æthiopia. The two countries fought a border war between 1998 and 2000 before restoring diplomatic relations in 2018.
Æthiopia has also accused Eritrea, Sudan
 ...a Moslem country located in the Horn of Africa. It is noted for its affinity for rule by ex- or current generals, its holy men, and for the oppression of the native Afro population by its Arab conquerors. South Sudan, populated mostly by the natives, split off from Sudan proper, which left North and South Darfur to be oppressed by the guys with turbans...
and Egypt of supporting the armed opposition alliance, allegations all three countries have denied. The diplomatic dispute with Egypt escalated this week after Æthiopia expelled an Egyptian diplomat, prompting Cairo to expel an Æthiopian embassy counsellor in a reciprocal move.
The African Union
...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful...
Commission has urged Æthiopia, Eritrea and Egypt to exercise maximum restraint and resolve their differences through diplomatic channels and peaceful dialogue, warning against actions that could worsen regional tensions.
The fighting has also raised concerns about a wider regional conflict. Tigray borders Eritrea to the north and Sudan to the west, while Sudan has been engulfed in a civil war for more than three years. Explosions were heard in Addis Ababa late Wednesday, with a source linked to the opposition alliance claiming that drones had targeted federal military facilities and other sites. Rooters said it could not independently verify the claim.
The renewed conflict comes as Tigray remains fragile after the 2022 peace agreement that ended the previous war. Humanitarian and communications disruptions have already been reported, while the advance toward Mekelle has increased fears of another major battle for the regional capital.
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