The conflict in Ethiopia's northern region of Tigray looks set to intensify after the Prime Minister signalled the end of a government ceasefire and the neighbouring Amhara region said it would go on the offensive against Tigrayan forces.
The Tigray People's Liberation Front, which has recaptured most of its home region in the past three weeks after an abrupt reversal in an eight-month war, vowed to retake western Tigray, an expanse of fertile territory controlled by Amhara forces who seized it during the conflict.
Abiy Ahmed abruptly pulled government troops out of most of Tigray last month, citing a unilateral ceasefire that the TPLF mocked as "a joke" designed to justify his forces' retreat.
But on Wednesday, Mr Abiy said the government was mobilising forces because the ceasefire had failed.
In Amhara, a regional government spokesman said authorities were rallying their own forces for a counter-attack against Tigrayan forces.
"The regional government has now transitioned from defensive to offensive," Gizachew Muluneh said. "Amhara militia and special forces have been systematically trying to defend but now our patience has run out and as of today we have opened an offensive attack."
The National Movement of Amhara, a major regional political party, called on irregular volunteer militia – known as Fano – to mobilise.
Western Tigray has long been home to large populations of Tigrayans and Amhara, and renewed fighting between two of Ethiopia's biggest ethnic groups over the territory could drive another wave of refugees from a conflict that has already forced 2 million from their homes.
When Mr Abiy sent troops to fight the TPLF last year, Amhara militia fought on the central government's side, using the opportunity to take control of territory administered by Tigrayans for decades.
Since Mr Abiy's withdrawal on June 28, the TPLF has pushed steadily outwards, recapturing most of Tigray. Its forces regained control of Alamata, the main town in the south, on Monday and pushed across the deep ravine of the Tekeze River to take Mai Tsebri from Amhara control on Tuesday.
But a tougher fight could be in store for western Tigray, which the Amhara consider a reclaimed part of their own homeland and have vowed to keep under their control.
Mr Abiy suggested his government was abandoning its ceasefire, only three weeks after it was agreed to, as government troops abandoned regional capital Mekele to the advancing TPLF.
"The ceasefire could not bear the desired fruits," Mr Abiy said. "The TPLF ... poses a great danger to the sovereignty of the country. The federal government, through mobilising the people of Ethiopia, is determined to curb this threat."
He blamed the TPLF for choosing to fight, accusing them of recruiting, drugging and deploying child soldiers.
TPLF spokesman Getachew Reda dismissed the claim. "We don't have child soldiers because mature soldiers are never in short supply," he told Reuters.
Mr Getachew reiterated that the TPLF welcomed aid, and would not observe a ceasefire while parts of Tigray remained under control of the central government or its allies.
Caught in the middle of the fighting are 23,000 Eritrean refugees sheltering in two camps near the town of Mai Tsebri. Many have already fled the Tigrayan war once when two other refugee camps were destroyed, and some told Reuters they saw refugees kidnapped and killed during previous fighting.
One refugee from Adi Harush camp said Tigrayan militia were searching refugees' homes and confiscating mobile phones.
“There is still shooting all around the camp," he said.
Tigrayan militia took 19 refugees from Adi Harush on Wednesday to an unknown location and one – a Muslim man – was killed after they told him to carry some weapons and he refused, another refugee said.
"Our forces are not after Eritrean refugees. We will make sure refugees are protected and we are more than ready to investigate any claims," Mr Getachew said. Refugees would be allowed to leave the area if they wished, he said.
Tesfahun Gobezay, head of Ethiopia's refugee agency, said they wanted to move the refugees away from fighting as fast as possible.
"We will bring refugees into the high schools as we try to build shelters," he said.
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
The Outsider
Stephen King, Penguin
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
Country-size land deals
US interest in purchasing territory is not as outlandish as it sounds. Here's a look at some big land transactions between nations:
Louisiana Purchase
If Donald Trump is one who aims to broker "a deal of the century", then this was the "deal of the 19th Century". In 1803, the US nearly doubled in size when it bought 2,140,000 square kilometres from France for $15 million.
Florida Purchase Treaty
The US courted Spain for Florida for years. Spain eventually realised its burden in holding on to the territory and in 1819 effectively ceded it to America in a wider border treaty.
Alaska purchase
America's spending spree continued in 1867 when it acquired 1,518,800 km2 of Alaskan land from Russia for $7.2m. Critics panned the government for buying "useless land".
The Philippines
At the end of the Spanish-American War, a provision in the 1898 Treaty of Paris saw Spain surrender the Philippines for a payment of $20 million.
US Virgin Islands
It's not like a US president has never reached a deal with Denmark before. In 1917 the US purchased the Danish West Indies for $25m and renamed them the US Virgin Islands.
Gwadar
The most recent sovereign land purchase was in 1958 when Pakistan bought the southwestern port of Gwadar from Oman for 5.5bn Pakistan rupees.
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Brief scores:
Arsenal 4
Xhaka 25', Lacazette 55', Ramsey 79', Aubameyang 83'
Fulham 1
Kamara 69'
The Freedom Artist
By Ben Okri (Head of Zeus)
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
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The specs: 2017 Porsche 718 Cayman
Price, base / as tested Dh222,500 / Dh296,870
Engine 2.0L, flat four-cylinder
Transmission Seven-speed PDK
Power 300hp @ 6,500rpm
Torque 380hp @ 1,950rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.9L / 100km
