The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) on Monday said the Ethiopian national army has launched a ground offensive against them, reported The BBC.
In a statement, the Tigray external affairs office said the Ethiopian military troops have launched airstrikes, drone raids, and heavy artillery bombardments in an attempt to reinvade the region.
TPLF spokesperson Getachew Reda said the Ethiopian army began the attack to push Tigrayan forces out of Amhara.
When asked if any such operation has been launched, Billene Seyoum, spokeswoman for Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, said the Ethiopian government had a responsibility to protect its citizens in all parts of the country from any acts of terrorism.
“The government of Ethiopia will continue to counter the TPLF’s destruction, violence, and killings in the Amhara region and elsewhere,” she added.
Prime Minister Abiy ordered the army to launch an offensive against the Tigrayan rebels in November last year after the government accused rebels of attacking military bases. Abiy declared the end of the conflict in late November, but sporadic fighting has continued since then.
The conflict has led to a humanitarian crisis in the war-torn region as thousands of people have been killed in the conflict, and around two million have been forced to flee their homes.
In July, the United Nations (UN) also warned that about 400,000 people were living in famine-like conditions in Tigray.
In June, Tigrayan forces took back control of most of Tigray, forcing the national military to withdraw. The forces also invaded the Amhara region in July, forcing Amhara forces out of the heavily militarized region.
The latest offensive has ended a ceasefire that Ethiopia’s government declared in June as its troops were forced to withdraw from the region.
The Ethiopian forces have declared the TPLF a terrorist organization, but the TPLF claims that it is the legitimate government in Tigray.
