Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed gave Tigrayan regional forces 72 hours to surrender before the military begins an offensive on the regional capital of Mekelle. “We urge you to surrender peacefully within 72 hours, recognising that you are at the point of no return,” Abiy said in a message posted on Twitter on Sunday evening.
Earlier a military spokesman has said that advancing Ethiopian military troops plan to surround Mekelle with tanks and may shell the city to force surrender. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), is refusing to surrender its rule of the northern region, said its forces were digging trenches and standing firm. Abiy’s federal troops have taken contrrol of towns during aerial bombardments and ground fighting, and is now aiming for Mekelle, a highland city of about 500,000 people where the rebels are based. The conflict begun on Nov. 4 killed hundreds, possibly thousands, and has sent more than 30,000 refugees into neighbouring Sudan. Rebels have fired Rockets into neighbouring Amhara region and across the border into the nation of Eritrea.
PM in his statement has said during what he terms a law enforcement operation “all the necessary precautionary measures have been taken to ensure that civilians are not harmed”. He said the people of Tigray had had enough of what he said was TPLF violence against them, and asked the people of Mekelle to stand with the federal troops in “bringing this treasonous group” to justice.
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