'Air strike' rocks Mekelle city in Ethiopia's Tigray region

Ethiopian government officials were not immediately reachable for comment but officials at Ayder Referral Hospital say the midnight strike near Mekelle general hospital caused casualties.

PM Abiy, a Nobel Peace laureate, sent troops into Tigray in 2020 to topple the TPLF in response to what he said were rebel attacks on federal army camps. (AP)

The capital of Ethiopia's Tigray region has been hit by an air strike, according to local hospital officials and the Tigray rebels. Kibrom Gebreselassie, chief clinical director at Mekelle's Ayder Referral Hospital, said on Twitter there had been a drone attack "close to midnight" on Tuesday near Mekelle general hospital. "Casualties are arriving at Ayder Hospital," he said. Another senior Ayder hospital official, Hayelom Kebede, said in a brief message to the AFP news agency that two wounded people had been taken to the facility so far. Ethiopian government officials were not immediately reachable for comment. "Night time drone attack in Mekelle. No conceivable military targets!" Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) spokesperson Getachew Reda said on Twitter. "Mekelle Hospital among the targets and at least three bombs dropped," he added. READ MORE: Türkiye concerned over return of Ethiopia conflict, urges talks Latest fighting The strike was reported just days after at least four people including children were killed in another air strike on Mekelle, with Tigrayan rebels accusing the government of hitting a residential area and a kindergarten. Fighting erupted between government forces and the TPLF in northern Ethiopia last Wednesday, ending a five-month truce and dimming hopes for a peaceful resolution to the near 22-month war. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government and the TPLF have each blamed the other for the fighting that erupted in areas bordering the southeastern tip of Tigray. The fighting, which erupted in November 2020, has killed untold numbers of civilians and left millions in need of humanitarian aid across the north. Since the latest combat flared, the international community has issued appeals for restraint, including from UN chief Antonio Guterres and the African Union. PM Abiy, a Nobel Peace laureate, sent troops into Tigray to topple the TPLF in response to what he said were rebel attacks on federal army camps. The TPLF mounted a comeback, recapturing most of Tigray in June 2021 and expanding into Afar and Amhara, before the fighting reached a stalemate. READ MORE: Ethiopia's government, rebels trade blame over renewed clashes in Tigray READ MORE: UN condemns air strike that killed children in Ethiopia Source: AFP

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Ethiopian government calls for formal ceasefire with Tigray rebels

Ethiopia's peace committee says it has drawn up a "peace proposal" to try to end the war that erupted in November 2020, but Tigray rebels dismiss the call as "obfuscation".

Tigray rebels have long insisted that basic services would have to be restored to the region of six million people before dialogue could begin. (Reuters)

The Ethiopian government has called for a formal Tigray ceasefire agreement to be reached as soon as possible to enable the resumption of basic services to the war-stricken northern region.

A committee established in June to explore the possibility of talks with Tigrayan rebels said on Wednesday it had drawn up a "peace proposal" to try to end the war that erupted in November 2020.

The announcement came on the same day that the World Health Organisation described the situation in Tigray as the "worst disaster on Earth".

And the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) dismissed the committee's call as "obfuscation", saying the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had shown no real appetite for dialogue.

"In order to ensure a sustained provision of humanitarian aid as well as to facilitate the resumption of basic services and also to resolve the conflict peacefully; the committee has underscored that there is a need to conclude a ceasefire agreement as soon as possible," the Ethiopian peace committee said in a statement.

"To expedite this process, the committee has deliberated upon and adopted a peace proposal that would lead to the conclusion of a ceasefire and lay the foundation for future political dialogue."

The TPLF has long insisted that basic services would have to be restored to the region of six million people before dialogue could begin.

READ MORE: Ethiopia: Ready for talks with Tigray rebels without preconditions

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Push to end the conflict

Fighting has eased in northern Ethiopia since a truce was declared at the end of March, allowing the resumption of desperately needed international aid convoys to Tigray after a break of three months.

Ethiopia's northernmost region has suffered desperate food shortages and is without access to basic services such as electricity, communications and banking.

Ethiopia's peace committee, meanwhile, said it would submit its peace proposal to the African Union (AU).

The AU has been leading the push to end a conflict that has killed untold numbers of people and left millions in need of humanitarian aid.

"All effort is being exerted in collaboration with the African Union so that it would be possible to determine the venue and time for talks and to begin peace talks quickly and to conclude a ceasefire agreement shortly," it said.

Abiy's government says any negotiations must be led by the AU's Horn of Africa envoy Olusegun Obasanjo but the rebels want outgoing Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta to mediate.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who is from Tigray, described on Wednesday the "man-made catastrophe" there as the "worst disaster on Earth" and slammed global leaders for overlooking the humanitarian crisis.

READ MORE: UN refugee agency: Food crisis to push displacement levels even higher

Source: AFP

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