ADDIS ABABA — Ethiopian government forces are moving closer to Mekelle, the capital of the Tigray region, as renewed fighting raises fears of a wider conflict in the Horn of Africa.
Residents and a diplomat told Reuters that federal forces were within about 30 kilometres of Mekelle on Friday.
The latest advance comes after weeks of fighting between Ethiopian government forces and an alliance led by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.
The conflict has also triggered a serious diplomatic crisis between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Ethiopia has ordered the closure of its embassy in Asmara and expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats.
Eritrea has responded by announcing that it is severing diplomatic relations with Ethiopia.
The Ethiopian government has accused Eritrea of supporting the rebel alliance. Eritrea denies the allegation.
The African Union has now called on Ethiopia, Eritrea and Egypt to exercise maximum restraint and resolve their differences through diplomatic channels.
MONAFRIKA FOCUS:
The renewed fighting is no longer only an Ethiopian domestic crisis. The growing tension between Ethiopia and Eritrea, alongside wider regional rivalries, has raised fears that the conflict could spread across the Horn of Africa.
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