Satellite Confirm Continued Fighting in Tigray  between Ethiopian Forces, Dissidents

The Ethiopian government tried to hide dangerous events in the country during the last weeks by imposing a communication blackout and restrictions on the military movements, which made it difficult to access reliable information sources.

Despite Ethiopia's announcement of the end of the military operations in the dissident province of Tigray, the scarce information leaking from the northern region and satellite images indicate that the conflict is still ongoing, according to Agency France-Presse (AFP).

Although the Ethiopian government says the fighting is over, satellite images and statements made by military and civilian officials in Tigray and rare statements from residents there have shown that the conflict continues out of sight, according to the agency.

On November 4, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019, launched a military offensive against the dissident Tigrayan authorities of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and declared victory on November 28 upon seizing the regional capital, Mekele.

But the government recently announced the killing of former regional leaders in battles, and the United Nations( UN) indicated "insecurity" impeding the transfer of humanitarian aid.

Last Thursday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, said that "information indicating new military incursions in the past ten days corresponds to images from accessible satellites that show new fires and signs of recent destruction in the two camps."

"These are tangible indications of major violations of international laws," he added.

The UN is particularly concerned about the potential for abuse of basic human rights in two camps that house more than 30,000 Eritrean refugees and remain inaccessible.

The authorities in Addis Ababa described the fighting that followed Mikeli's capture as small operations to hunt down former leaders in the region, especially its former leader, Depreciation Gebrima Michael.

In mid-December, Washington considered the information about the presence of Eritrean forces in Tigray as "reliable" and "dangerous" and called for its immediate withdrawal.