Tigre rebels capture Lalibela in Ethiopia

NAIROBI: Tigre rebels recaptured northern Ethiopia’s Lalibela city on Sunday, home to a UNESCO World Heritage site, local residents told AFP, 11 days after Ethiopian forces said they had retaken control. Is.
The announcement marks another dramatic turning point in a 13-month-old conflict that has killed thousands and sparked a deep humanitarian crisis in the north of Africa’s second most populous country.
A resident who arrived by telephone on Sunday afternoon said “Tigreon fighters” are in the center of town, there is no fighting.
“Yeah, they’re back. They are already here, ”said another resident, adding that they came from the east in the direction of Voldia.
“The population, most of the people are scared. Some are running. Most people, they have already left because there may be revenge. We expressed our happiness before the junta left.”
The military leadership of the Tigre People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) rebel group said in a statement shared with pro-TPLF media that they had launched “comprehensive counter-attacks” at several locations, including the road connecting Gashena and Lalibela.
“Our forces first defended and then retaliated against the huge force that was attacking the Gashena front and surrounding areas and (a) managed to secure a resounding and surprising victory,” it said.
On Sunday evening, the TPLF said that “after destroying and dispersing a large number of enemy forces stationed in and around Gashena” it “occupied (the area) in and around Gashena and … Captured the base and the city of Lalibela.”
The government did not immediately respond to AFP’s requests.
Lalibela, 645 kilometers (400 mi) north of Addis Ababa, is home to 11 medieval monolithic cave churches carved into red rock and a major pilgrimage site for Ethiopian Christians.

Communications have been cut off in the conflict zone and access to journalists is restricted, making the claims difficult to verify.
But in a tweet late Saturday, Abiy’s office said he had “again moved to the front” and that forces under his leadership had captured several strategic locations in Afar and Amhara, including Arjo, Phokisa and Boren. cities were included.
War broke out in November 2020 when Abiy sent troops to Tigre, Ethiopia’s northernmost region, to topple the TPLF after months of tensions with the group that dominated politics for three decades before taking office.
He said the move was in response to attacks on army camps by the TPLF, and vowed a speedy victory.
But the rebels bounced back in a jiffy, by June capturing most of the Tigre before advancing into the neighboring areas of Amhara and Afar.
Fears of a rebel march on Addis Ababa prompted countries such as the United States, France and Britain to urge their citizens to leave Ethiopia as soon as possible, although Abiy’s government said the city was safe.
The fighting has displaced more than two million people and put hundreds of thousands in famine-like conditions, with reports of genocide and gang rape by both sides, according to UN estimates.
But intense diplomatic efforts led by the African Union in an attempt to reach a ceasefire have failed to yield any visible success.
The UN says more than 13 months of conflict has plunged 9.4 million people “in a critical state of food aid” in the regions of Tigre, Afar and Amhara.