The Government of Ethiopia has clarified: The Ethiopian Army controls the capital of Mekell in the state of Tigray. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has disseminated the statement through his official Twitter account and local television. Army Chief Berhanu Jula has also confirmed the information, which states that "the arrests of members of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) continue." The Government says that "innocent civilians have not been targeted." Other sources have pointed out that the attack on TPLF has been carried out with "heavy artillery" and that it is not clear whether the official message of the NATO Government is true or true.

According to the Prime Minister, this is the "final phase" of the attack, after TPLF gave a 72-hour ultimatum to surrender and refused to give in.

An even more intense atmosphere since 4 November

Tensions between the Government of Ethiopia and this northern region are not new. Since the constitution of the government in 2018 they have intensified, but it is true that since 4 November the Tigray region has been plunged into a bloody war. Six million people live in the area and already thousands have left, including 40,000 people, to Sudan. Of course, not everyone has been able to leave the region and, according to the ICG International Crisis Group, "there are thousands of people who have died in this conflict."

Since the beginning of this last chapter of the conflict, the Ethiopian Government has remained in the same position: He will not negotiate with Tigray's "criminal group", at least "until the operation is over", he said. Since last November TPLF accused TPLF of attacking a federal army base, they have been embroiled in a war environment.

With the support of the UN, the African Union has sent a delegation to the capital of Ethiopia with the aim of channelling the dialogue. The group consists of three former presidents from Africa: Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique; Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia; and Kgalema Motlanthe of South Africa. But since the TPLF is not disarmed, the government does not accept it.

The TPLF was in government from 1991 to 2018, when the Ethiopian People’s Democratic Revolutionary Front (EPRDDF) coalition appointed Abiy Ahmed as head of government. The latter immediately formed the Prosperity Party, disintegrating the Frente EPRDDF. All ethnic parties in the coalition joined the new party, except the TPLF.

Since then, the situation has again been tense between the Tigray Government and the Government of Ethiopia. Among other things, going beyond the central government ' s position, local elections were convened in the Tigray region in September, but the Ethiopian Government has not taken these results into account. The Ethiopian Government is accused of "marginalizing at least ethnic Tigray, which represents 6 per cent of the total population".