Mekelle offensive (2020)

Last updated

Mekelle Offensive
Part of the Tigray War
Date17 November 2020 – 28 November 2020
Location
Mekelle, Tigray Region, Ethiopia
13°29′49″N39°28′37″E / 13.49694°N 39.47694°E / 13.49694; 39.47694 Coordinates: 13°29′49″N39°28′37″E / 13.49694°N 39.47694°E / 13.49694; 39.47694
Status
  • Ethiopia captures multiple sites around the city of Mekelle [1]
  • Ethiopia captures Mekelle on 28 November after two days of battle, TPLF withdraws [2] [3]
Belligerents
Flag of the Tigray Region.svg Tigray Region Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Ethiopia
Supported by:
Flag of Eritrea.svg  Eritrea (alleged by TPLF)[ citation needed ]
Commanders and leaders
Flag of the Tigray Region.svg Debretsion Gebremichael
(Chief Administrator of Tigray Region and TPLF Chairman)
Infobox TPLF.png Getachew Reda
(TPLF Spokesperson) [4] 		Flag of Ethiopia.svg Abiy Ahmed
(Prime Minister of Ethiopia)
Flag of Ethiopia.svg Birhanu Jula
(ENDF Chief of Staff)
Flag of Ethiopia.svg Kenea Yadeta
(Minister of Defence)
Flag of the Amhara Region.svg Tiruneh Temesgen
(Chief Administrator of Amhara Region, early November 2020)
Flag of the Amhara Region.svg Agegnehu Teshager
(Chief Administrator of Amhara Region, as of late November 2020)
Units involved
Infobox TPLF.png Tigray People's Liberation Front

Flag of Ethiopia.svg Ethiopian National Defense Force:


Flag of the Amhara Region.svg Amhara militiamen [5]
Strength
Unknown Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown
27 civilians killed, 100+ wounded (Mekelle anonymous doctors) [5]

The Mekelle offensive was a military campaign fought between the armed forces of Ethiopia and the Tigray Region to reach the city of Mekelle in the Tigray Region, from 17 November to 28 November 2020. It was part of the Tigray War.

Contents

Timeline

17 November

Mekelle was hit by an airstrike, killing two civilians and injuring several others. The strike also caused damage to roads, bridges and houses. It is unknown who carried out the airstrike as the Ethiopian government has denied targeting civilians. [6] [7] [8] The Ethiopian government accused the TPLF of blowing up four main bridges leading to Mekelle, while the TPLF denied the accusations. [9]

18 November

Ethiopian forces captured Shire and Axum without any fighting in the morning. Around 9 a.m., Ethiopian forces were advancing towards Mekelle by three roads from South, East and Northwest around 200 kilometers away from the city. The Chief of Staff of the Ethiopian Defense Force, Berhanu Jula, announced an intention to encircle Mekelle in order to capture TPLF forces. [6] [10] [11]

19 November

Leader of TPLF said that Mekelle was bombed but gave no details of casualties or injuries. [12] Redwan Hussein, a government spokesperson, said that government troops are closing in on Mekelle and have won multiple victories and captured a number of towns on their campaign towards the Tigray capital. [13]

20 November

Mekelle was hit by an airstrike which inflicted significant damage on Mekelle University, injuring several civilians. [14] [15]

22 November

Military spokesperson of Ethiopia, Col Dejene Tsegaye, announced that Mekelle will be encircled and shelled, telling Tigray civilians to flee the city because Ethiopian forces would show no mercy. TPLF leader Debretsion Gebremichael said that his troops have stalled the Ethiopian forces on southern front. [16]

28 November

Ethiopian forces begun their direct assault on Mekelle on 28 November. Debretsion claimed that they were bombarding the city with artillery, an accusation rejected by Ethiopian government. [17] Ambulances rushed through the streets picking up dead and wounded after Ethiopian government artillery strikes. [5] Doctors in Mekelle sent text messages on the condition of anonymity to avoid reprisals from the government by using a rare Internet connection in the city. They stated that indiscriminate artillery shelling targeted not only TPLF areas, but also civilian neighborhoods, ended up killing 27 civilians (including a 4 year old child) and wounded around 100. The hospital staff showed documents to prove their employment and denied any ties to the TPLF, while providing certain pictures of their patients (including infants) having many shrapnel wounds. [5]

The Ethiopian government later that day announced it had taken Mekelle and that it was the end of the Tigray offensive. [18] Debretsion confirmed the TPLF were withdrawing from around Mekelle. [3] Tigrayan forces said they had withdrawn from Mekelle to avoid having the federal forces from further destroying the city and that the TPLF will be fighting in surrounding rural areas, beginning a new guerrilla campaign. [5]

Aftermath

The International Committee of Red Cross which visited Mekelle after the battle, said hospitals were facing difficulties in providing healthcare to patients. 80% of the people at the Ayder Referral Hospital had trauma injuries, causing other services to be suspended. The hospital was also facing a shortage of body bags. Food in the Tigray region had also run out, causing 1,000 Eritrean refugees to request food and other assistance in Mekelle. [19] Analysts[ who? ] have previously stated that the TPLF could switch to insurgency after losing territory. [20]

On 30 November, Ethiopian President Abiy Ahmed told the parliament that federal soldiers have not killed a single civilian during the month-long conflict in the Tigray region, and stated that his army will not destroy Mekelle. [21]

As of 3 December, electricity had been cut off in the city, which emboldened armed troops (possibly Amhara militiamen) to loot stores at night, forcing many to close. [5]

By June 28th, 2021, TPLF rebels had entirely captured Mekelle as well as bordering Ethiopian villages. [22] The interim government has exiled [23] and the Ethiopian government has called for a ceasefire. [24]

Related Research Articles

Tigray Peoples Liberation Front Left-wing political party in Ethiopia

The Tigray People's Liberation Front is an ethnic nationalist paramilitary group, political party, and former ruling party of Ethiopia, established on 18 February 1975 in Dedebit, northwestern Tigray, according to official records. Within 16 years, it had grown from about a dozen men into the most powerful armed liberation movement in Ethiopia. It led a coalition of movements named the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) from 1989 to 2018. It fought a 15-year-long war against Ethiopia’s Derg regime which was overthrown in 1991. Due largely to its war fighting capabilities, the TPLF was at the forefront in the defeat of the Derg. It is widely known as Woyane,Weyane,Wayana or Wayane in older texts and Amharic publications. With the help of its former ally, the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF), EPRDF overthrew the dictatorship of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (PDRE) and established a new government on 28 May 1991 that ruled Ethiopia until its refusal to merge into the Prosperity Party in 2018.

Debretsion Gebremichael Ethiopian politician and President of Tigray Region

Debretsion Gebremichael is an Ethiopian politician who serves as President of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and as deputy and acting President of the Tigray Region. His position as titular head of the Tigray region is disputed by the federal government of Ethiopia who in November 2020 appointed Mulu Nega as the chief executive of the Transitional Government of Tigray.

Abiy Ahmed Prime Minister of Ethiopia

Abiy Ahmed Ali is an Ethiopian politician serving as 4th Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia since 2 April 2018. He was the third chairman of the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front and first Oromo to serve in that position from the Oromo Democratic Party (ODP), which was one of the four coalition parties of the EPRDF. Abiy is also an elected member of the Ethiopian parliament, and a member of the ODP and EPRDF executive committees.

2021 Ethiopian general election general election to be held in Ethiopia

The 2021 Ethiopian general election to elect officials to the House of Peoples' Representatives was held on 21 June 2021. It was originally to be held on 29 August 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Regional and municipal council elections were also planned to be held at the same time around the country. In May the sitting House of Representatives voted to postpone the election until 2021. In late December 2020, the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) stated that it would take place on 5 June 2021, before being delayed to 21 June. It was the first multi-party election in Ethiopia since 2005.

Events of 2020 in Ethiopia.

Tigray War Armed conflict between Tigray Peoples Liberation Front and Ethiopia and allies since 2020

The Tigray War is an ongoing armed conflict that began around midnight of 3–4 November 2020 in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. The Special Forces of the Tigray Regional government are fighting the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF), the latter being aided by the Ethiopian Federal Police, regional police, and gendarmerie forces of the neighboring Amhara and Afar Regions with the involvement of the Eritrean Defence Forces (EDF). The Tigrayan Special Forces received reinforcements from defecting ENDF soldiers and civilian volunteers; they were integrated into the Tigray Defense Forces. All sides have committed war crimes during the conflict.

Transitional Government of Tigray is a caretaker administration that was formally declared by the House of Federation of Ethiopia on 7 November 2020, in the context of a conflict between the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), in power in the Tigray Regional State and the federal government of Ethiopia. In late November 2020, the administration, headed by Mulu Nega, planned public consultation and participation in choosing new leaders at the regional and zonal level and preservation of woreda and kebele administrations.

Mai Kadra massacre Ethnic cleansing in Mai Kadra, Tigray, Ethiopia as part of Tigray conflict

The Mai Kadra massacre was a series of ethnic cleansing and mass murders carried out on 9–10 November 2020 in the town of Mai Kadra in the Tigray Region of northwestern Ethiopia, near the Sudanese border. Responsibility was attributed to youths from the Samri and other kebeles loyal to the Tigray People's Liberation Front, in preliminary investigations by Amnesty International (Amnesty), the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and the Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO); and to Amhara militias, in interviews conducted in Sudan by Reuters and the Financial Times and to both Amhara militias and the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) by Associated Press (AP), Vice, Agence France-Presse (AFP) and AfricaNews.

This is an account of the military engagements of the Tigray War, an ongoing armed conflict in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia that began in early November 2020.

Humera massacre Ethnic massacre as part of the Tigray War in 2020

The Humera massacre was an ethnic mass murder event carried out in early November 2020 in the town of Humera in the Tigray Region of northwestern Ethiopia, next to the Sudanese border. The massacre took place during an armed conflict between the regional government of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and the federal government of Ethiopia. Refugees attributed the massacre to Amharan militias, including Fano, and the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF).

The 4 November Northern Command attacks were attacks on the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) Northern Command headquarters in Mekelle and bases in Adigrat, Agula, Dansha, and Sero in the Tigray Region by armed forces of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) on 4 November 2020 during the Tigray War.

Benishangul-Gumuz conflict Armed conflict involving regional government and ethnic militias in Benishangul-Gumuz Region in west Ethiopia since 2019

The Benishangul-Gumuz conflict is an armed conflict mostly in the Metekel Zone of the Benishangul-Gumuz Region in Ethiopia that started in 2019.

The 2020–2021 Ethiopian–Sudanese clashes are clashes between Sudan and Ethiopia together with Amhara militants and Eritrea in the disputed border region of al-Fashaga. Since 2008 Ethiopia has dropped all claims to the al-Fashaga as long as Sudanese allowed Ethiopian farmers and militants to stay in the area undisturbed. With the outbreak of the Tigray War, Sudanese forces were able to move into the region due to an agreement with Ethiopia just three days before. When the Amhara militants left to assist the federal government in the war, Sudanese forces started to drive out the Ethiopian farmers, including the Amhara, effectively breaking the 2008 compromise. Ethiopia has also accused Sudan of killing Amhara farmers.

Events in the year 2021 in Ethiopia.

Sexual violence in the Tigray War included, according to the United Nations Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, claims of rape in Mekelle, people forced to rape family members, "sex in exchange for basic commodities", and "increases in the demand for emergency contraception and testing for sexually transmitted infections". As of March 2021, the number of rape victims ranged from a minimum estimate of 512–516 rapes registered with hospitals to 10,000 rapes according to British parliamentarian Helen Hayes. Several claims were made that the rape was systematic, constituting rape as a weapon of war.

War crimes have been committed during the Tigray War that started in November 2020.

Battle of Humera 2020 battle, part of the Tigray War

The Battle of Humera was fought between Ethiopia and allied forces against forces loyal to the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) in the city of Humera during the Tigray War. The battle took place from 9 to 11 November 2020, and is the first recorded time Eritrean troops saw action. It also led to the Humera massacre when Amhara and Ethiopian troops started beating and killing civilians. Many more civilians were killed and wounded because of the shelling during the battle.

The Tigrayan peace process is a series of proposals, meetings, agreements and actions that aim to resolve the Tigray War. Around 9 November 2020, Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and elected Tigray Region leader Debretsion Gebremichael asked the African Union to stop the war and requested peace negotiations; federal Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed refused to negotiate. On 25–27 November, a trio of former African presidents appointed by African Union chair Cyril Ramaphosa visited Ethiopia with the aim of mediating; they met Abiy and representatives of the Transitional Government of Tigray that officially replaced the elected TPLF Tigrayan government. An emergency Intergovernmental Authority on Development summit of East African heads of government and state met on 20 December 2020 in Djibouti, resulting in a statement of support for the Ethiopian constitutional order and humanitarian access to Tigray Region.

Mekelle shelling Massacre in Mekelle as part of Tigray war

The Mekelle shelling was a mass extrajudicial killing that took place in Mekelle in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia during the Tigray War, on 28 November 2020. Mekelle is the regional capital of Tigray.

Tigray Defense Forces Combined military forces of Tigray

The Tigray Defense Forces (TDF) are a military structure that came into existence during the Tigray War. It has grown in reaction to the Ethiopian government’s decision to escalate a scorched earth strategy in Tigray. The TDF is experienced with guerrilla warfare.

References

  1. ↑ "Ethiopia Tigray crisis: Abiy issues 'ultimatum' as civilians flee fighting". BBC News. 18 November 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  2. ↑ "Ethiopia PM says Tigray operation over after army seizes Mekelle". Al-Jazeera. 29 November 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Ethiopia says military operation in Tigray region is over, hunt for Tigray leaders begins". Reuters. 28 November 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  4. ↑ Getachew Reda talks about the state of war situation in Tigray
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Marks, Simon; Walsh, Declan (3 December 2020). "From Shelled Ethiopian City, Doctors Tally Deaths and Plead for Help". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  6. 1 2 "Ethiopia crisis: Tigray leader vows to keep fighting as government advances". BBC News. 18 November 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  7. ↑ Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "Ethiopian army marches on Tigray capital | DW | 18.11.2020". DW.COM. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  8. ↑ "The moment airstrike hit Tigray's capital". BBC News. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  9. ↑ "Ethiopia: Both sides claim military gains as fighting rages". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  10. ↑ Paravicini, Giulia (18 November 2020). "Ethiopian troops push for regional capital, rebels promise 'hell'". Reuters. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  11. ↑ "Latest update on the war in Ethiopia : Defense Chief of Staff speaks". Borkena Ethiopian News. 19 November 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  12. ↑ Reuters Staff (19 November 2020). "Rebel leader says capital of Ethiopia's Tigray region bombed". Reuters. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  13. ↑ "Ethiopia says its forces are 'closing in' on Tigray capital". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  14. ↑ "Ethiopia bombs university in a civil conflict that shows no signs of ending". www.abc.net.au. 20 November 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  15. ↑ Bethlehem Feleke and Zamira Rahim. "Several injured in airstrikes on Tigray capital, humanitarian source says". CNN. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  16. ↑ "Ethiopia's Tigray crisis: Ethiopia troops to 'encircle and shell' Tigray city". BBC News. 22 November 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  17. ↑ "Ethiopian forces begin offensive on Tigray capital, say a diplomat and Tigrayan forces leader". Reuters. Daily Sabah. 28 November 2020. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  18. ↑ "Ethiopia's Tigray crisis: Army 'takes regional capital of Mekelle'". BBC News. 28 November 2020. Retrieved 28 November 2020. Mr Abiy said the army was in full control and that this "marks the completion of the [military's] last phase".
  19. ↑ "Mekelle hospitals struggling to care for wounded: ICRC". Al-Jazeera. 29 November 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  20. ↑ "Rockets target Eritrea capital after Ethiopia declares victory in Tigray". Agence France-Presse. France 24. 29 November 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  21. ↑ Reuters Staff (30 November 2020). "Abiy says Ethiopia's federal forces have not killed civilians in Tigray". Reuters. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  22. ↑ Feleke, Bethlehem. "Ethiopian forces withdraw from Tigray regional capital Mekelle". CNN. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  23. ↑ Akinwotu, Emmanuel. "Interim government of Tigray flees as rebels seize capital". theguardian. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  24. ↑ Paravicini, Houreld, Giulia, Katharine. "Tigray's former rulers back in Mekelle, Ethiopian government declares ceasefire". Reuters. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
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