The Ethiopian federal army has pushed Tigray rebel forces out of neighboring Afar state, where they had advanced deep after the resumption of military operations in the north of the country, Agence France-Presse reported, citing a representative of a humanitarian organization, BTA reported.
It appears to have made progress on other sections of the front, and is now less than 100 kilometers from Mekele, the capital of northern Tigray state, which is de facto ruled by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), AFP notes.
Military operations in northern Ethiopia resumed on September 23. The federal army is fighting the TPLF and the "Fano" militias from another neighboring state of Tigray - Amhara.
According to the quoted representative of a humanitarian organization, the FOTN forces withdrew from Afar yesterday. However, the situation for the population of the state is dire. Experts quoted by AFP claim that the Ethiopian federal army is advancing on Mekele from three sides. The conflict between the central government and the FOTN erupted in November 2020.
It was ended with the signing of the Pretoria peace agreement two years later. However, the situation began to deteriorate again last year, with the Ethiopian federal government, headed by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, accusing Eritrea, which borders Tigray, of interfering in the country's internal affairs - something the neighboring country denied.