Tigray Rebels Repel Ethiopian Forces, Take Control of Regional Capital - Reports

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th June, 2021) The rebels in Ethiopia's northern province of Tigray repelled state forces and took control over the regional administrative center, the city of Mekelle, the New York Times reported on Monday, citing correspondents at the scene.

According to earlier reports, as the Tigrayan fighters launched a counterattack, all officials of the Tigray interim administration fled from Mekelle.

The New York Times said that thousands of people have taken to the streets to celebrate the advance of the Tigrayan rebels, known as the Tigray Defense Forces. Ethiopian soldiers were seen leaving Mekelle in vehicles.

Last November, the Ethiopian authorities accused the opposition Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) of attacking a military base and mobilized troops, claiming that TPLF "armed and organized irregular militia units.

" The Tigray region has been occupied by the Ethiopian military since then.

Late last year, Tigray leader Debretsion Gebremichael announced that Eritrea had sent troops across the border in support of Ethiopian government forces.

Over the eight months of the civil war, the Ethiopian government has been accused of human rights violations against the Tigrayan people.

On June 23, an Ethiopian airstrike on a village market killed over 50 and wounded another 100 in Tigray.