Eritrea mobilizes armed forces after Ethiopia clashes: UK, Canada
Canadian and British governments reveal that the Eritrean authorities have called on their armed forces to mobilize after the return to fight broke the truce between the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Ethiopian authorities.
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Military Parade in Asmara on the occasion of Eritrean Independence Day
Following the renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia, Eritrean authorities have called on their armed forces to mobilize, Canadian and British governments claimed.
Last month's return to fighting broke a March truce and destroyed hopes of a peaceful solution to the almost two-year war between the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Ethiopian authorities.
Tigrayan authorities have since shown a preparedness to hold talks led by the African Union, but the Ethiopian government has not given any public response to the overtures yet, but only said it remains "committed" to the AU-led peace process.
Read: Ethiopia calls for formal ceasefire with Tigray rebels
The two parties have blamed each other for firing the first shots, and fighting has spread from around southern Tigray to more fronts farther north and west, while also bringing Eritrean troops who supported Ethiopian forces during the early stage of the war.
The Canadian and British governments warned last Friday that their nationals in Eritrea should limit their movements following the mobilization call.
"Local authorities have issued a general call for mobilization of armed forces in response to the conflict in northern Ethiopia," the Canadian government said, adding, "Additional security measures could be imposed on short notice across the country."
Eritrea has not commented on the reports though.
Tigray has been bombed several times since the latest clashes broke out, and an official at Ayder Referral Hospital reported the death of 16 people due to the air strikes.
On August 24, fighting commenced between the TPLF and Addis Ababa, after nearly a 5-month-truce since march.
Fighting has escalated in northern Tigray, where the Ethiopian army, supported by forces from neighboring Eritrea, is attacking rebel positions, according to diplomatic and foreign sources who requested anonymity.
Tigray, in northern Ethiopia, is cut off from the rest of the country and without power, telecommunications networks, banking services, or petrol.
The delivery of humanitarian aid by road and air has also been completely interrupted since the fighting resumed. This return to hostilities "is already affecting the lives and livelihoods of vulnerable people, including the delivery of vital humanitarian assistance" in Afar, Amhara, and Tigray, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on September 9.
