Could fighting in Ethiopia’s Tigray trigger a wider conflict?
Government forces withdraw as rebels retake regional capital, Mekelle, and reject unilateral ceasefire declared by the government.
The eight-month fight for Ethiopia’s Tigray region saw a sudden turn this week.
Rebel forces took back the regional capital Mekelle, saying they will keep pushing to recapture the entire region. They have also rejected the Ethiopian government’s unilateral ceasefire, calling it a “joke”.
The Ethiopian army, however, denies it is losing ground.
The United States has called on all sides to put down their weapons and allow humanitarian aid for the more than two million people displaced.
Is this the end or the beginning of a wider conflict?
Presenter: Mohammed Jamjoom
Guests:
Samuel Getachew – Journalist based in Ethiopia
Laetitia Bader – Horn of Africa director at Human Rights Watch
Adem Kassie Abebe – Programme officer at the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance