Symbolic imageTigray commander vows to fight on as caretaker administration urges rebels to disarm
A Tigray rebel commander pledged on Thursday to keep fighting after government-allied forces took Mekelle. On Friday an official of the federally backed administration urged fighters to lay down their arms.
Lieutenant General Fisseha Kidanu, identified on the new rebel station Tigray Broadcast Media as commander of the Tigray army, said Tigray was still at war and urged militias and volunteers to attack government-held positions, despite the opponents' edge in drones and heavy weapons. The TPLF had withdrawn from Mekelle in early October, when government-allied fighters entered the city. Redae Halefom Woldeselassie, a senior official in the new six-month caretaker administration, said the rebels were collapsing and told fighters to go home, arguing the conflict served a small clique of leaders.
Drone strike in Mekelle
Residents reported a drone strike on Tuesday that killed four people and injured six as they loaded goats onto a truck; this could not be independently verified. Redae said Ethiopian and allied troops are conducting joint security operations, but gave no timetable for the return of displaced residents.
Pretoria deal in tatters
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed accused the TPLF on Monday of forcibly recruiting young people instead of disarming under the 2022 Pretoria agreement, which the renewed fighting has effectively shattered.
Flight into Kenya
Reuters reports that the Kenya Red Cross is rushing aid to Ethiopians who crossed the border fleeing violence.