Ethiopian Forces Battle Tigrayans as Refugees Head to Sudan
2020-11-11
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1Ethiopian government troops were reported to have captured an airport in northern Ethiopia from Tigrayan forces on Tuesday.
2State media said federal forces had captured the airport, near the border with Sudan and Eritrea, as well as a road leading from the town of Humera.
3Reuters news agency says information from the area was difficult to confirm because all communications are cut.
4The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) governs Ethiopia's Tigray Region, which is home to 5 million people.
5The TPLF did not comment on the reports.
6Last week, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered airstrikes and sent troops into Tigray.
7He had earlier accused the TPLF of attacking a federal military base.
8Tigrayans say Abiy's government oppresses and discriminates against them.
9The African Union (AU) has called for peace talks and an end to the fighting.
10The Ethiopian government said talks were only possible if Tigrayan leaders were arrested and all weapons held by the Tirgayans destroyed.
11It also has called for the release of federal officials detained in the area.
12About 2,500 Ethiopians have fled the fighting into neighboring Sudan.
13The number of refugees is expected to increase, a Sudanese official noted.
14"The number is increasing," said Alsir Khaled.
15He is a refugee commission official in the Sudanese state of Kassala.
16"These people need shelter and medical treatment and food and there is a great shortage."
17The 44-year-old Abiy is Africa's youngest leader.
18He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 for democratic reforms and for making peace with Eritrea, Ethiopia's longtime enemy.
19But the military operation against Tigray has worried diplomats.
20Some fear the country could fall into civil war given the deep hatred between the Tigrayans and the prime minister.
21A war could further damage the economy, which has already been badly hurt by the coronavirus crisis.
22Abiy is a former soldier who once fought alongside Tigrayans against Eritrea.
23He became prime minister in 2018.
24Abiy has opened the country's formerly oppressive government and political system.
25But that has led to a large increase in ethnic problems.
26Hundreds of Ethiopians have fled their homes for fear of ethnic violence over the past two years.
27In a possible escalation, Tigray leader Debretsion Gebremichael said the Eritrean government sent troops across the border.
28The Eritrean forces were said to have attacked Tigrayan soldiers in support of Ethiopian federal troops.
29But he gave no proof and Eritrea's Foreign Minister Osman Saleh Mohammed denied it.
30"We are not part of the conflict," he told Reuters.
31Eritrea and Ethiopia signed a peace deal two years ago.
32The Eritrean government remains hostile to the Tigrayan leadership for its part in a bloody 1998-2000 war.
33Reuters reported that aid workers and security sources have spoken about airstrikes on arms storage centers and other targets as well as heavy ground fighting.
34Abiy believes he can defeat the Tigrayan leadership militarily, diplomats told Reuters.
35TPLF forces number up to 250,000 men and is heavily armed, experts say.
36The TPLF has called the prime minister "merciless" because of the airstrikes.
37I'm Susan Shand.
1Ethiopian government troops were reported to have captured an airport in northern Ethiopia from Tigrayan forces on Tuesday. 2State media said federal forces had captured the airport, near the border with Sudan and Eritrea, as well as a road leading from the town of Humera. Reuters news agency says information from the area was difficult to confirm because all communications are cut. 3The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) governs Ethiopia's Tigray Region, which is home to 5 million people. The TPLF did not comment on the reports. 4Last week, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered airstrikes and sent troops into Tigray. He had earlier accused the TPLF of attacking a federal military base. 5Tigrayans say Abiy's government oppresses and discriminates against them. 6The African Union (AU) has called for peace talks and an end to the fighting. 7The Ethiopian government said talks were only possible if Tigrayan leaders were arrested and all weapons held by the Tirgayans destroyed. It also has called for the release of federal officials detained in the area. 8About 2,500 Ethiopians have fled the fighting into neighboring Sudan. The number of refugees is expected to increase, a Sudanese official noted. 9"The number is increasing," said Alsir Khaled. He is a refugee commission official in the Sudanese state of Kassala. "These people need shelter and medical treatment and food and there is a great shortage." 10The 44-year-old Abiy is Africa's youngest leader. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 for democratic reforms and for making peace with Eritrea, Ethiopia's longtime enemy. 11But the military operation against Tigray has worried diplomats. Some fear the country could fall into civil war given the deep hatred between the Tigrayans and the prime minister. 12A war could further damage the economy, which has already been badly hurt by the coronavirus crisis. 13Abiy is a former soldier who once fought alongside Tigrayans against Eritrea. He became prime minister in 2018. 14Abiy has opened the country's formerly oppressive government and political system. But that has led to a large increase in ethnic problems. Hundreds of Ethiopians have fled their homes for fear of ethnic violence over the past two years. 15Possible escalation 16In a possible escalation, Tigray leader Debretsion Gebremichael said the Eritrean government sent troops across the border. The Eritrean forces were said to have attacked Tigrayan soldiers in support of Ethiopian federal troops. 17But he gave no proof and Eritrea's Foreign Minister Osman Saleh Mohammed denied it. "We are not part of the conflict," he told Reuters. 18Eritrea and Ethiopia signed a peace deal two years ago. The Eritrean government remains hostile to the Tigrayan leadership for its part in a bloody 1998-2000 war. 19Reuters reported that aid workers and security sources have spoken about airstrikes on arms storage centers and other targets as well as heavy ground fighting. 20Abiy believes he can defeat the Tigrayan leadership militarily, diplomats told Reuters. 21TPLF forces number up to 250,000 men and is heavily armed, experts say. The TPLF has called the prime minister "merciless" because of the airstrikes. 22I'm Susan Shand. 23The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 24________________________________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26escalation - n. a serious increase 27source - n. one who reveals information 28merciless - adj. without kindness or forgiveness