Africa-Press-Ethiopia
Rebels have killed 22 officials of the war-hit Tigray region´s interim administration, Ethiopia´s government said Wednesday.
An additional 20 interim officials had been “kidnapped” by forces loyal to the Tigrayan People´s Liberation Front, or TPLF, which ruled the region until it was toppled by an offensive ordered by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in November. A further four have been “wounded and hospitalized,” said the statement issued on Twitter.
Abiy declared victory four weeks after the offensive began and replaced the TPLF´s regional administration with an interim one headed by officials appointed by the federal government based in Addis Ababa. But six months on, fighting continues in Tigray as pro-TPLF fighters wage an insurgent campaign in the region’s countryside.
The attacks on the officials have been carried out “by TPLF fighters that claim to be fighting for the people of Tigray but have rather been actively engaged in the destruction of property, kidnapping and killing of members of the provisional administration that are tasked with bringing stability,” said the statement.
It added that the “TPLF have continued to burn down houses and fire ammunitions into households.”
Nine officials were killed in northeast Tigray, the highest figure of any area, while six were killed in the region´s central zone. Both areas have seen heavy fighting.
Reports of atrocities perpetrated by Ethiopian and Eritrean troops in Tigray, including massacres and widespread sexual violence, have drawn international condemnation.
While the United Nations and international relief organizations have achieved some cooperation from the Ethiopian authorities in gaining access to deprived areas of Tigray, Mr. Lowcock said in his note, such cooperation has deteriorated in recent months.
“Humanitarian operations are being attacked, obstructed or delayed in delivering lifesaving assistance,” he wrote, and at least eight aid workers have been killed.
“As a result of impediments and the effect of restrictions, not nearly enough support is being provided,” he wrote. He urged Security Council members “to take any steps possible to prevent a famine from occurring.”
His warning was echoed by Samantha Power, the administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, the main U.S. government provider of humanitarian assistance to needy countries. Ms. Power, a former American ambassador to the United Nations, said in a statement that one of the aid workers killed had worked for the agency she now runs.
“The risk of famine in Ethiopia looms for the first time in over 30 years,” Ms. Power said. “Eritrean troops must leave Tigray, the Ethiopian government must grant unimpeded humanitarian access and punish human rights abusers, and a political solution must be reached.”
The heightened concern over famine comes as the historically friendly relations between the United States and Ethiopia face new strains. The United States recently cut some economic and security assistance to Ethiopia, the largest recipient of American aid in sub-Saharan Africa.
On Sunday, the Biden administration took the unusual step of penalizing Ethiopia over growing American exasperation with Mr. Abiy’s actions in Tigray. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken announced visa restrictions on officials linked to the conflict, preventing their travel to the United States.
