1 Dead As Soldiers Fire on Protest in Tigray Capital

በትግራይ ዋና ከተማ በተነሳው ተቃውሞ ወታደሮች ንጹሐን ላይ ተኩሰው ፩/1 ሰው ሲገድሉ ብዙዎችን አቁስለዋል።

One person was shot dead Tuesday when soldiers opened fire on an anti-government protest in the capital of Ethiopia’s conflict-hit northern Tigray region, a medical official said.

The protest in the city of Mekele was timed to coincide with a visit by religious leaders from the national capital Addis Ababa, part of an effort by the federal government to show that life is returning to normal in Tigray three months after fighting began.

Groups of young men used stones and burning tyres to block roads in central Mekele, and soldiers used live rounds in at least one location, several witnesses told AFP.

“One dead body already arrived” with gunshot wounds, said a doctor at Ayder Referral Hospital, adding that the victim was “a young man.”

There could be more casualties, said the doctor, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

“The head of our transport division was injured. He was beaten by soldiers along with his son and he’s getting treatment in the hospital,” the doctor said.

“He told the physicians that there are lots of injured in the street but nobody is bringing them to the hospital.”

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UN | 20,000 Refugees Missing in Tigray | ፳/20 ሺህ ስደተኞች በትግራይ ጠፍተዋል

As many as 20,000 refugees are missing after two camps in Ethiopia’s war-torn Tigray region were smashed, the United Nations said.

The refugees, most of whom are from neighboring Eritrea, fled from the Hitsats and Shimelba shelters which were destroyed in fighting that erupted in Tigray in November. In January, satellite images showed the destruction of two refugee camps sheltering thousands of Eritreans in the region.

About 3,000 people made it to another camp in Mai-Aini, which the United Nations has access to, according to Filippo Grandi, the UN’s High Commissioner for Refugees. Many refugees “were caught in crossfire, abducted and forced to return to Eritrea under duress by Eritrean forces,” Grandi said, citing testimony presented to him at a visit to the camp while on a four-day trip for meetings with officials in Ethiopia.

The situation in Tigray is extremely grave and urgent support is necessary to prevent the situation worsening, Grandi said. “Our main priority is to gain access to deliver aid and protection.” Communications in the region remain impeded by a government shutdown of telecommunications networks. Relief agencies including the International Committee of the Red Cross have said they’re unable to access

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