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Three weeks after the fighting subsided, burnt-out military vehicles, ammunition boxes and the bodies of federal troops were still scattered on the dirt road that passed through the Ethiopian village of Sheweate Hugum.
By their side, there are the relics of life: family photos, school diplomas, Ethiopian flags.
What happened here in mid-June was just an eight-month battle between the Ethiopian army and the rebels in the northern area of Tigray.
However, it reveals a critical turning point in the conflict that is largely far away from the world camera.
In June, the Tigray warriors regained the regional capital of Meckler, which was a 3-hour drive eastward. This was a major setback for the central government. On the same day, the city was regained and Addis Ababa announced a unilateral ceasefire.
Fighting broke out in Tigray for the first time in November, when the government accused TPLF of attacking military bases in the area-the organization denied this allegation.
Three weeks later, the government declared victory when it took control of Merkler, but the TPLF continued to fight and regained most of the area, including its capital, on June 28.
Tesfay Gebregziabher is the logistics coordinator for approximately 6,000 Tigrayan fighters. He said they were fighting in Sheweate Hugum. He said he saw about 350 Ethiopian soldiers retreating to the village school during the fighting.
In an interview with Merkel, he said that his troops surrounded the building and killed those who did not surrender. Reuters was unable to independently verify his account of the incident.
In the two-bedroom school building in Sheweate Hugum, Reuters saw more than 20 bodies in Ethiopian military uniforms, including women, lying on overturned desks and burnt books.
They were illuminated by sunlight through bullet holes in the roof and doors.
Opened cans of food are placed next to most corpses.
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