Ethiopian forces capture town and move toward Tigray capital, says senior official
- PM Abiy Ahmed ordered a ‘final offensive’ after his ultimatum for the Tigray People’s Liberation Front to lay down arms expired on Wednesday
- Leader meets African peace envoys, but the statement issued by his office afterwards makes no mention of talks to end fighting
The Ethiopian military has seized control of the town of Wikro, 50km (30 miles) north of the Tigrayan capital, a senior official said on Friday, a day after the government said it was beginning the “final phase” of an offensive in the northern region.
Federal forces have captured Wikro “and will control Mekelle in a few days”, Lieutenant-General Hassan Ibrahim said in a statement. Government troops had also taken control of several other towns, he added.
Reuters was not immediately able to reach the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) for comment, or to verify the statement.
Claims by all sides in the three-week-old conflict between government and TPLF forces have been impossible to verify because phone and internet connections to the region are down and access to the area is tightly controlled.
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What is behind the fighting in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region?
On Sunday, the government gave the TPLF until Wednesday to lay down arms or face an assault on Mekelle, a city of 500,000 people, raising fears among aid groups of extensive civilian casualties.