Ethiopia conflict spurs opposing narratives as battle rages

Bloomberg

Ethiopia’s government and Tigrayan authorities have issued contradictory accounts of who’s winning a conflict that’s been raging in the dissident northern state since November 4 and triggered a humanitarian crisis in Africa’s second-most populous nation.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s administration said its troops have seized control of several Tigrayan towns, indicated the fall of its capital, Mekelle, is imminent and told diplomats the conflict is likely to be over in the next week or two.
Tigrayan President Debretsion Gebremichael says his forces have suffered minimal casualties and are strongly entrenched along the access routes leading toward Mekelle.
“Casualties are so high on the side of the invaders,” Debretsion said in a text message.
“Our forces are using trenches to defend their positions. As a result our cost is minimal, although I cannot provide the exact numbers.”
Abiy ordered the incursion into Tigray after months of tension between the federal government and the region’s ruling Tigray People’s Liberation Front, which has been politically sidelined since he took office in 2018. Tigrayan authorities say the fighting has displaced 100,000 people and the United Nations has warned that an additional 1.1 million people may need aid.
No official figures of the number of casualties are available. Most telecommunications to Tigray have been cut off, making it difficult to independently assess how the fighting is progressing. Abiy Ahmed gave the Tigrayan forces 72 hours to surrender, and warned that his forces will begin an offensive against Mekelle if they didn’t comply.
“As the people of Mekelle who are now confronted with the prospect of destruction are our citizens, and as the responsibility to rebuild the city rests on our shoulders, we believe greatly that our law enforcement action in Mekelle should be done in a way that results in minimal damage and casualties,” he said.
Military spokesman Colonel Dejene Tsegaye earlier told the state-run Ethiopia Broadcasting Corporation that the army will surround Mekelle with tanks and may shell the city to overthrow the TPLF.