Ethiopian army begins Tigray assault after deadline lapses

Bloomberg

Ethiopian federal troops began an artillery offensive against the city of Mekelle as the government seeks to break the hold of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) on the region.
TPLF leader Debretsion Gebremichael confirmed that the government offensive is under way. There were no immediate reports of casualties or specific targets being hit, according to two senior United Nations officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. The artillery was used in the north of the city, they said.
PM Abiy Ahmed ordered his troops to attack Mekelle after a deadline for the regional forces to surrender had expired. The UN has warned that half a million of the city’s inhabitants may be caught in the crossfire between federal troops and regional security forces.
The army began an incursion into Tigray three weeks ago, after Abiy accused the TPLF
of attacking a military base to steal weapons. The TPLF, once the predominant power in Ethiopia’s ruling coalition, has been progressively sidelined since Abiy took office in 2018.
The hostilities have triggered a humanitarian crisis across Tigray, with tens of thousands of people displaced and food, cash and fuel shortages now widespread, and the government is facing mounting international pressure to de-escalate the conflict.

Ethiopia leader rebuffs African union bid to quell civil conflict
Bloomberg

Efforts by African Union envoys to quell a civil conflict in Ethiopia have foundered, with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed eschewing negotiations with the dissident Tigray state.
Abiy met former presidents Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia and Kgalema Motlanthe of South Africa, during which he laid all blame for
the crisis on the leadership of the northern region’s ruling Tigray People’s Liberation Front. He gave no indication that the government is contemplating a ceasefire.