At Least 56 Killed in Air Strikes in Ethiopia’s Tigray Region
At Least 56 Killed in Air Strikes in Ethiopia’s Tigray Region
(Bloomberg) -- At least 56 people were killed in air strikes in northern Ethiopia’s Tigray region on Friday, according to aid agencies.
The strikes, which happened just before midnight, hit a school that was turned into an internally-displaced people’s center in Dedebit town, northwest Tigray, according to two aid workers who asked not to be identified because they are not authorized to comment publicly. A hospital in the town is attending to at least 30 injured people, they said.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government has been at war with rebels from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front in a 14-month long conflict that’s left millions in need of aid. The fighting has swung in Abiy’s favor over recent weeks, with the Tigrayans retreating to within their home province from the neighboring Amhara and Afar regions.
More than 140 people have been killed in air strikes in northern Ethiopia since October, Bloomberg reported Jan. 4, citing diplomats and aid agencies who asked not to be identified for fear of government retribution. They attributed Abiy’s recent gains in the conflict to aerial assaults.
Getachew Reda, a spokesperson for the TPLF, confirmed the strike by phone, saying it hit a school hosting internally displaced people.
An Ethiopian government spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to questions seeking comment on Saturday.
Bloomberg was unable to independently verify the information, including the number of people who are said to have been killed or injured.
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