Scores of Ethiopian soldiers wounded in Tigray conflict
Reports of dead and wounded soldiers have mounted in recent days in the Amhara region, where a humanitarian aid worker said three died and 35 were treated on Saturday.
ROBBIE COREY-BOULET
SANJA
Nearly 100 Ethiopian soldiers have been treated for gunshot wounds at a hospital in the country's northern Amhara region, a medical official said, pointing to intense fighting in the country's internal conflict.
The toll comes as prime minister Abiy Ahmed and military leaders tout Ethiopian soldiers' successes against forces loyal to the ruling party in the northern Tigray region, where Abiy ordered military operations last week.
A communications blackout in Tigray makes official statements on the conflict difficult to verify, yet on roads in the northern part of Amhara, ambulances can frequently be seen ferrying wounded combatants to hospitals.
In the town of Sanja, 98 government soldiers have been treated for "gunfire" injuries, a doctor told AFP.
"We have had 98 cases. All of them are soldiers from the national army," said the doctor, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
He said there were no fatalities at the hospital, but noted more serious cases have been transported to larger hospitals in the city of Gondar and elsewhere.
Five dead, 105 injured
Reports of dead and wounded soldiers have mounted in recent days in Amhara, where a humanitarian aid worker said three died and 35 were treated on Saturday. On Friday, 105 were reported injured and five killed in the region.
They coincide with growing fears of civil war after Abiy, last year's Nobel Peace Prize winner, sent federal troops and aircraft into Tigray in a major escalation of a long-running feud.
Heavily armed base
A UN source told AFP on Saturday that an internal security report said Tigrayan forces held Ethiopia's Northern Command headquarters in Mekele.
The key base is one of the most heavily armoured in the country, a legacy of Ethiopia's war with neighbouring Eritrea, which borders Tigray.
A state media report yesterday quoted deputy army chief Berhanu Jula saying federal forces had "fully destroyed the heavy weaponries of the traitorous clique", a reference to the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the regional ruling party.
Berhanu also said federal forces had "completely captured" four towns in western Tigray, where much of the fighting has reportedly been concentrated.
Almost nine million people at risk
On Saturday, a UN report noted that Tigray houses 100 000 displaced Ethiopians, nearly 100 000 refugees and "approximately 600 000 people dependent on food relief assistance".
All told, nearly nine million people near Tigray's borders are "at high risk due to this conflict", the report said, raising the possibility of "massive displacements within and outside of Ethiopia".
The TPLF dominated politics in Ethiopia for nearly three decades before Abiy came to power in 2018 on the back of anti-government protests.
Under Abiy, Tigray's leaders have complained of being unfairly targeted in corruption prosecutions, removed from top positions and broadly scapegoated for the country's woes.
The long-running feud became more intense after Tigray held its own elections in September, defying Abiy's government which had decided to postpone national polls due to the coronavirus pandemic.
- NAMPA/AFP
SANJA
Nearly 100 Ethiopian soldiers have been treated for gunshot wounds at a hospital in the country's northern Amhara region, a medical official said, pointing to intense fighting in the country's internal conflict.
The toll comes as prime minister Abiy Ahmed and military leaders tout Ethiopian soldiers' successes against forces loyal to the ruling party in the northern Tigray region, where Abiy ordered military operations last week.
A communications blackout in Tigray makes official statements on the conflict difficult to verify, yet on roads in the northern part of Amhara, ambulances can frequently be seen ferrying wounded combatants to hospitals.
In the town of Sanja, 98 government soldiers have been treated for "gunfire" injuries, a doctor told AFP.
"We have had 98 cases. All of them are soldiers from the national army," said the doctor, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
He said there were no fatalities at the hospital, but noted more serious cases have been transported to larger hospitals in the city of Gondar and elsewhere.
Five dead, 105 injured
Reports of dead and wounded soldiers have mounted in recent days in Amhara, where a humanitarian aid worker said three died and 35 were treated on Saturday. On Friday, 105 were reported injured and five killed in the region.
They coincide with growing fears of civil war after Abiy, last year's Nobel Peace Prize winner, sent federal troops and aircraft into Tigray in a major escalation of a long-running feud.
Heavily armed base
A UN source told AFP on Saturday that an internal security report said Tigrayan forces held Ethiopia's Northern Command headquarters in Mekele.
The key base is one of the most heavily armoured in the country, a legacy of Ethiopia's war with neighbouring Eritrea, which borders Tigray.
A state media report yesterday quoted deputy army chief Berhanu Jula saying federal forces had "fully destroyed the heavy weaponries of the traitorous clique", a reference to the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the regional ruling party.
Berhanu also said federal forces had "completely captured" four towns in western Tigray, where much of the fighting has reportedly been concentrated.
Almost nine million people at risk
On Saturday, a UN report noted that Tigray houses 100 000 displaced Ethiopians, nearly 100 000 refugees and "approximately 600 000 people dependent on food relief assistance".
All told, nearly nine million people near Tigray's borders are "at high risk due to this conflict", the report said, raising the possibility of "massive displacements within and outside of Ethiopia".
The TPLF dominated politics in Ethiopia for nearly three decades before Abiy came to power in 2018 on the back of anti-government protests.
Under Abiy, Tigray's leaders have complained of being unfairly targeted in corruption prosecutions, removed from top positions and broadly scapegoated for the country's woes.
The long-running feud became more intense after Tigray held its own elections in September, defying Abiy's government which had decided to postpone national polls due to the coronavirus pandemic.
- NAMPA/AFP
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