Rebels in Ethiopia's Tigray fire rockets at neighboring state: Report

Rebels in Ethiopia's northernmost region of Tigray have reportedly launched rocket attacks on neighboring Ahmara State, amid growing concerns about the spread of violence in the East African country.

Amhara communications official Gizachew Muluneh said on Friday that the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) had fired three rockets at the regional capital, Bahir Dar, in the early morning.

He said the rockets had missed their targets, with two striking near the airport and a third hitting a maize field.

"My suspicion is they were targeting the Amhara Mass Media Agency, the airport, and a telecommunications tower that is nearby," Gizachew said.

There were no reports of casualties or damage, he added.

Last week, the TPLF also fired rockets at Asmara, the capital of neighboring Eritrea, which it accuses of backing Ethiopian government forces. Both Eritrea and Ethiopia deny the allegation.

The Friday development came a day after Ethiopia said its forces had liberated two towns in the rebel-held Tigray and were further advancing to retake the regional capital, Mekelle.

Ethiopian troops advancing toward capital of rebel-held region: Report

Ethiopian government forces reportedly liberate two towns in the rebel-held northern region of Tigray and are advancing to retake the regional capital, Mekelle.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Abiy ordered the army offensive in Tigray early this month, in response to a deadly attack on an army base that killed at least 54 people from the ethnic Amhara group in the Oromia region.

Abiy accused the TPLF — the region’s ruling party — of having staged the attack.

Tigray's regional president, Debrestion Gebremichael, has accused the federal government of staging the offensive to oust the regional government and assert its own authority.

Abiy, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has resisted calls by the United Nations (UN), the African Union, and various countries for talks with the armed rebels in the north.

The conflict has left hundreds dead and forced around 25,000 Ethiopians to flee across the border into Sudan. The crisis also risks destabilizing the wider Horn of Africa region.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has warned that a full-scale humanitarian crisis is unfolding in the region.

UN plans for 200,000 Ethiopian refugees in Sudan

Meanwhile, the UN has announced that it is making plans for as many as 200,000 refugees fleeing into neighboring Sudan, making an urgent appeal for $200 million to assist them.

Full-scale humanitarian crisis unfolding in Ethiopia: UNHCR

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says a full-scale humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Ethiopia as thousands of people flee the country’s north and the border area with Sudan.

"Together with all the agencies, we have built a response plan for about 20,000 people, and currently we are at about 31,000, so it has already surpassed that figure," the UN refugee agency's representative for Sudan, Axel Bisschop, told a briefing in Geneva on Friday. "The new planning figure is around 200,000."

The Sudan-based representative for the UN children's agency (UNICEF), Abdullah Fadil, also voiced fears about the impact of the arrivals on Sudan, already hosting one million refugees from other African neighbors.

"Our serious concern is if we do not act quickly with the resources needed... this could unravel not only Ethiopia but also Sudan," he told the briefing.

Rights groups are concerned about ethnic violence and destabilization in Ethiopia, Africa's second-most populous country.

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