Ethiopian Defense Forces, Amhara Special Forces Took Control of the City

Ethiopian Defense Force reportedly advanced further north after controlling Alamata. Tigray regional government is yet to remark about it

Colonel Dejene Tsegaye briefing journalists after TPLF lost control of Alamata town . (photo : ENA)

Borkena

November 15, 2020 

Ethiopian Defense Forces on Sunday took control of Alamata, Waja, and Timuga towns. Alamata town is about 177 kilometers south of Mekelle.. 

The Defense Force, Amhara region special forces, and local militia worked together to dislodge Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) forces from the three towns and in the area. 

However, there are reports that the TPLF force did not leave quietly. Colonel Dejene Tsegaye, South command human resources and media coordinator, is cited as saying that the retreating TPLF force took as many as 10,000 inmates from Alamata prison. 

“The rebel TPLF group retreated without resisting when the defense force, Amhara special force and local militia arrived in the area,” he said. 

The defense force is advancing north to Mekelle from where the TPLF leaders have believed to be leading the war which they call “resistance to fascists forces.” 

According to Ethiopian News Agency (ENA), residents in these towns took to the streets to celebrate the Ethiopian Defense Force victory against TPLF forces. 

Formerly under the province of Wollo, Alamata and Raya were incorporated into the Tigray region of Ethiopia when the TPLF government redrew the Ethiopian administrative regions in the years following the collapse of Colonel Mengistu Hailemariam’s government in 1991. 

Resistance to the imposition of Tigray identity on residents of Alamata and Raya Kobo had been simmering since these areas came under the administration of the Tigray region of Ethiopia after TPLF’s take over of government power in Addis Ababa under the leadership of the late Meles Zenawi.  

At this writing, TPLF did not release a statement regarding the Ethiopian Defense Force operation in Alamata town. On Saturday, the chairman of TPLF and president of Tigray regional state, Deretsion Gebremichal, accused the Ethiopian Defense Force of becoming a tool for what he called “fascist” forces. 

On Friday this week, TPLF forces fired rockets at Bahir Dar and Gonder cities. The extent of the damage from the rocket attack is yet to be disclosed. 

Also, TPLF fired at least three rockets at the Eritrean capital Asmara on Saturday. However, Eritrean authorities said that the attack did not cause serious damage. Analysts interpreted the attack on Eritrea as an effort to internationalize the war. 

In a twitter message on Sunday, Assistant Secretary for U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs, Tibor Nagy, said that the attack on Eritrea is unjustified.  He tweeted : 

“The United States strongly condemns the TPLF’s unjustifiable attacks against Eritrea on November 14 and its efforts to internationalize the conflict in Tigray.  We continue to urge immediate action to protect civilians, deescalate tensions, and restore peace.” 

Eritrean authorities said that they will not respond to the attack. Yet, TPLF claims that Eritrea has deployed 16 bridges of armies in the Tigray region.

The war in northern Ethiopia was started on November 4 after TPLF force launched what they called “blistering attack” on the military bases of the northern command post as the army was sleeping. Hundreds of Ethiopian soldiers are believed to be killed and thousands were taken as “captives.”