Abiy Ahmed, winner of last year's Nobel Peace Prize, last week launched a military operation in Tigray claiming authorities there had attacked two federal military bases, which they deny. The sudden escalation came after months of tensions between Ethiopia's federal government in Addis Ababa and the semi-autonomous region of Tigray, whose leaders formerly controlled the government. "The air force is currently bombarding selected areas in the region," military official Major General Mohammed Tessema told state media Monday. He rejected claims by the region's ruling Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) that they had shot down a warplane as "completely false". 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.

Source: Ethiopian News November 09, 2020 13:07 UTC