Ethiopia accuses Eritrea, Sudan of backing Tigray rebels amid clashes– www.france24.com
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Ethiopia‘s army commander on Sunday accused Eritrea and Sudan of backing armed groups fighting its troops in the north of the country.
Heavy clashes have resumed between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the federal government since Wednesday, raising fears of a return to a 2020-2022 civil war in which an estimated 600,000 people died.
The TPLF has seized airports and launched attacks into the neighbouring states of Afar and Amhara, saying they were engaged in a “defensive war” against the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
A humanitarian source said the Afar town of Erebti, near the border with Tigray, fell to the rebels on Sunday after being pounded by heavy artillery.
The TPLF was now advancing towards the town of Afdeera, some 100 kilometres (60 miles) to the east.
The source estimated that at least 150,000 people have been displaced in Afar, but said it was impossible to give precise numbers.
Speaking on the army’s YouTube channel, army chief Field Marshal Birhanu Jula said: “We are fighting forces that are organised and allied to serve the interests of external forces.
“Neither Shaebia (Eritrea) nor the TPLF can achieve anything alone, even if they are allied, unless they are backed, supported and supplied by Sudan, Egypt and other external powers,” he added.
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