Tigray rebels retake Ethiopian heritage town of Lalibela
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Loading... - Dennis Nyakundi
- 13 Dec 2021
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Tigray rebels have recaptured the north Ethiopian town of Lalibela, home to a Unesco world heritage site, 11 days after Ethiopian forces said they had retaken control, local residents have said.
It marks another twist in the 13-month-old conflict that has killed thousands of people and triggered a humanitarian crisis in the north of Africa’s second most populous nation.
Lalibela, 400 miles north of Addis Ababa, is home to 11 medieval monolithic cave churches hewn into the red rock and is a key pilgrimage site for Ethiopian Christians.
Tigrayan fighters “are in the town centre, there’s no fighting,” one resident said on Sunday afternoon.
A second resident said: “Yes they came back. They are already here,” adding that they appeared to have come from the east, in the direction of Woldiya.
They said: “The population, most of the people are scared. Some are running away. Most of the people, they already left because there might be a revenge. We expressed our happiness before when the junta left.”
Communications have been cut in the conflict zone and access for journalists is restricted, making it difficult to verify the claims.
The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) rebel group’s military leadership said in a statement shared with pro-TPLF media they had launched “comprehensive counter-offensives” in numerous locations including along the road linking Gashena and Lalibela.
“Our forces first defended and then carried out counter-offensives against the huge force that was attacking on the Gashena front and surrounding areas and managed to achieve [a] glorious and astonishing victory,” it said.
The government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In a tweet late on Saturday, the office of the prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, said he had “headed to the front again” and forces under his leadership had captured several strategic locations in Afar and Amhara, including the towns of Arjo, Fokisa and Boren. Read More…
