Two explosions rock Ethiopian cities; TPLF fires rocket
Members of Amhara region militias head to the mission to face the Tigray People’s Liberation Front in Sanja. Reuters
Gulf Today Report
Two explosions went off in different cities in Ethiopia’s Amhara state as residents also reported hearing gunfire in Bahir Dar and Gondar cities on Friday night, though an Amhara regional government statement said "the situation was controlled within a few minutes" and "our cities are in peace.”
Ethiopia said on Saturday that forces loyal to the ruling party in the northern Tigray region had fired into neighbouring Amhara region, raising fears that ongoing fighting could draw in other parts of the country.
In the late hours of Nov. 13, 2020, “a rocket was fired towards Bahir Dar and Gondar cities. As a result, the airport areas have sustained damages," a government statement said.
"The TPLF junta is utilising the last of the weaponry within its arsenals," the statement said, referring to the Tigray People's Liberation Front, the Tigray ruling party.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed last week launched military operations in Tigray, saying the move was provoked by TPLF attacks on federal military camps in the region — a claim the TPLF denies.
READ MORE
Ethiopia claims big advance in Tigray, Amnesty says mass killing
UN chief deeply alarmed by armed clashes in Ethiopia's Tigray
Hundreds of people have been killed in clashes since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sent the national defence force on an offensive against the well trained local troops on Nov.4, after accusing them of attacking a federal military base in the area.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed addresses a press conference. File photo
The United Nations, the African Union and others are concerned that the fighting could spread to other parts of Africa’s second most populous country and destabilise the wider Horn of Africa region.
