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Developments indicate that the insurgents have continued their advancement beyond Tigray for several weeks, which, according to Ethiopian officials, has displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians.
Residents told AFP that rebels from the war-torn Tigray region of Ethiopia occupied Lalibela, a UNESCO World Heritage Site adjacent to the Amhara region, which was hewn from its 12th-century rock Famous for its churches.
Developments on Thursday showed that the insurgents are continuing their weeks of advance outside Tigray, which, according to Ethiopian officials, has displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians.
Since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed dispatched troops to overthrow the government of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) in November last year, Tigray has been suffering from wars, and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) is a region Sexual parties, which dominated national politics before Abiy took office in 2018.
The 2019 Nobel Peace Prize winner Abi said that the move was in response to the TPLF’s attack on the barracks.
However, despite Abi’s promise to win quickly, the war took a surprising turn in June when the pro-TPF forces regained the Tigray capital Merkel and most of the Ethiopian army withdrew.
Since then, the TPLF has moved east into neighbouring Afar and south into neighbouring Amhara, where Lalibela is located.
Soldiers and militia fighters have collectively mobilized in parts of Amhara to stop the rebel attack, but multiple residents of Lalibela told AFP on Thursday that the town fell without fighting.
“They came in the afternoon and did not fight. There are no security forces around. TPLF troops are now in the town,” a resident said.
“TPLF just arrived in the afternoon. They danced and played in the city square,” another resident said.
“Most people leave towns and go to remote areas,” a third resident said, adding that he and his family were hiding at home.
“Terrorist organization”
The Pacific People’s Front’s march into neighboring areas has aroused global criticism, and the United Nations and the United States this week once again called on all parties to end hostilities.
Abiy’s spokeswoman Billene Seyoum said at a press conference on Thursday that more than 300,000 people have been displaced by the recent fighting in Amhara and Afar.
The Abbey government has long accused foreign leaders, especially Western leaders, of ignoring the crimes committed by TPLF, and Billing said that TPLF “continues to play” some foreign observers “like ventriloquist actors.”
She said: “I hope that the international community will begin to awaken at this moment and see the essence of this organization: a terrorist organization that hijacks the well-being of the Tigray people as a means of its evil goals.”
Officials did not confirm that Lalibela was under TPLF control on Thursday.
Earlier this week, Gizachew Muluneh, spokesperson for the Amhara region, said: “There is no need to tell where it happened because the fighting is going on in three areas.”
“But what I want to emphasize is that the terrorist TPLF apparently invaded Amhara’s lands or areas on three fronts.”
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