Unremitting fighting reported as federal troops near Tigrayan capital

The fighting in Ethiopia's Tigray region has been continuing as the dissident leader rejected Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's ultimatum on Sunday that rebels surrender within 72 hours.

The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) leader Debretsion Gebremichael said the federal troops were trying to cover for setbacks against Tigrayan forces, and was issuing threats to buy time.

The federal army has said its forces are within 60 kilometers of Mekele, the capital city of Tigray region ahead of a threatened all-out bombardment of the city of half a million people.

Prime Minister Abiy has urged the people of Mekele to side with the national army against the TPLF, "in bringing this treasonous group to justice."

A general view of Um Rakuba refugee camp in Qadarif, eastern Sudan, Monday, November 23, 2020. /AP

Getachew Reda, a spokesman for the Tigray forces, said on Tuesday that the TPLF forces "completely destroyed" the army's 21st mechanized division. The Ethiopian government has not responded to the rebels' remarks.

Brigadier General Tesfaye Ayalew, as quoted by state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate on Monday, said that federal troops were "marching into Mekele" having captured key towns to the north and south.

Abiy in a statement late Sunday accused Tigrayan forces of destroying key infrastructure in their retreat from fighting, including the airport in the town of Axum and schools, bridges, medical centers and roads.

An Ethiopian refugees fleeing from the ongoing fighting in Tigray region, holds her new born baby at the Um-Rakoba camp, on the Sudan-Ethiopia border, in the Al-Qadarif state, Sudan, November 23, 2020. /Reuters

Since the conflict erupted on November 4, hundreds of people have been killed and over 40,000 Ethiopians have fled west into Sudan. Meanwhile rockets have hit Eritrea to the north, spurring fears the internal conflict risks instability beyond its borders.

On Monday, the U.S. called for mediation between the Ethiopian federal government and the TPLF.

"The United States calls for mediation in #Ethiopia and supports the efforts led by @CyrilRamaphosa and the @_AfricanUnion to end this tragic conflict now," the U.S. government's National Security Council said in a post on Twitter late on Monday.

Prime Minister Abiy has resisted international pressure to halt the fighting, including from the African Union, describing the campaign as a "law enforcement operation" against a "treasonous group" that is now entering its final phase.

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Redwan Hussein, spokesman for an Ethiopian committee handling the conflict, said the government would meet envoys sent by the A.U. "as a matter of respect" but flatly ruled out any talks with the TPLF.

"Facts on the ground have changed, and we've come to the very end," he told reporters on Monday.

Ethiopian refugees fleeing from the ongoing fighting in Tigray region, wait for food at the Um-Rakoba camp, on the Sudan-Ethiopia border, in the Al-Qadarif state, Sudan, November 23, 2020. /AP

(With input from agencies)