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Ethiopian PM gives Tigray rebels 3-day ultimatum to surrender before govt. attack

Monday, 23 November 2020 7:37 AM [ Last Update: Monday, 23 November 2020 7:37 AM ]

Pro-government militiamen off to combat alongside federal and regional forces against rebels fighting for the northern region of Tigray, ride on the back of a pick-up truck in the city of Gondar, on November 8, 2020. (Photo by AFP)

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has given the rebels in the restive Tigray region in the north a 72-hour ultimatum to surrender before government troops launch an offensive on the provincial capital city Mekelle.

"We urge you to surrender peacefully within 72 hours, recognizing that you are at the point of no return," he tweeted on Sunday.

So far, there has been no reaction from the rebels to the ultimatum.

Meanwhile, the United Nations on Monday urged the Ethiopian government to provide "protection" for the civilian population affected by the fighting.

Catherine Sozi, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Ethiopia, called on the Ethiopian government for "protection of more than 525,000 civilian (non-combatants) who live in Mekelle."

She also highlighted the need for the "protection of all civilian infrastructure like health facilities, schools and water system... of civilian importance."

Sozi also demanded that the Ethiopian government guarantee the safety of aid workers.

The military has already warned that it will encircle Mekelle with tanks and might have to conduct an artillery strike to liberate the city from the rebel forces holding it.

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Dejene Tsegave, a military spokesman, warned civilian residents in the city to "dissociate yourself from this junta, after that there will be no mercy."

The military official urged the city’s half a million inhabitants to “Save yourself!" in a warning that may displace many civilians. More than 36,000 have already fled to neighboring Sudan since the fighting erupted three weeks ago.

In response, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) leader Debretsion Gebremichael vowed that the rebel forces will resist the government troops' advancement on the regional capital.

He said Ethiopian government forces will meet "fierce fighting" if they advance toward the regional capital.

"They'll continue to pay for every move," he told AFP.

Tigray has been engulfed in bloody fighting since November 4, when Ethiopian government forces launched a military operation against the regional government.

TPLF forces dominated Ethiopia's political scene until Abiy became prime minister in 2018.

The 2019 Nobel Peace Prize winner has accused the rebel forces loyal to the TPLF of launching deadly attacks on a pair of federal military camps in the region.

Abiy has also accused the TPLF of defying his government and seeking to destabilize it.

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