The “final phase” of an offensive in the northern Tigray region has officially been declared by the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, setting the stage for a bloody insurgence.
“The 72-hour period granted to the criminal TPLF clique to surrender peacefully is now over and our law enforcement campaign has reached its final stage,” he tweeted on Thursday, referring to the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
Abiy said the army has been ordered to move on the embattled Tigrayan capital, Mekelle, and warned its residents to “stay indoors”.
The statement by the prime minister’s office means tanks and other weaponry can now close in on the city of some half a million people.
His government has warned of “no mercy” if residents do not move away from the Tigray leaders in time. “We will take utmost care to protect civilians,” it says.
Thousands of people are already believed to have died and there has been widespread destruction from aerial bombardment and ground fighting since the conflict began on November 4.
Man of Peace : Do not interfere with me
The international community is pleading for immediate de-escalation, dialogue and humanitarian access as Ethiopian forces fight their way through Tigray to Mekelle.
But Abiy, last year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, has rejected international “interference”.
The United Nations on Thursday said shortages have become “very critical” in the Tigray region as its population of 6 million remains sealed off.
Fuel and cash are running out, more than a million people are now estimated to be displaced and food for nearly 100,000 refugees from Eritrea will be gone in a week, according to the UN’s update released overnight.
More than 600,000 people who rely on monthly food rations haven’t received them this month, the UN said.
Travel blockages are so dire that even within Mekelle, the UN World Food Programme cannot obtain access to transport food from its warehouses there.
