Ethiopia fighting kills 52 in Tigray, cuts off banks and internet — SkimNews
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- Ethiopian government troops took control of Alamata in Tigray after three days of heavy fighting involving artillery and drone strikes, with hospital sources reporting that 52 civilians were killed, including children and non-combatants.
- Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) clashed with federal forces, accusing the government of launching an offensive with drone strikes, while the government claims Tigrayan fighters initiated hostilities by seizing regional airports.
- Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported over 700 wounded admitted to hospitals it supports in Tigray, underscoring the escalating humanitarian toll as fighting spreads to Afar and Amhara regions.
- Alamata General Hospital staff described a strike on the town’s marketplace that killed 12 people, with residential areas hit by explosives and no functioning medical or emergency infrastructure to respond.
- Residents and displaced persons in Alamata face a worsening crisis due to suspended banking services, internet blackouts, power outages, and blocked supply routes, leaving thousands desperate and cut off from aid or communication.
- Tourists, including Americans, Israelis, Britons, and South Koreans, were stranded in Lalibela after the airport closed, though 19 have been evacuated via military helicopter and NGO convoy amid ongoing military movements toward Mekelle.
Why it matters: At least 52 civilians are dead and hundreds wounded in Tigray, with banking and telecoms shut down across the region — a repeat of wartime tactics that isolates populations and blocks accountability. The resurgence of large-scale violence threatens to reignite a national conflict just two years after a peace deal, destabilizing Ethiopia’s fragile recovery.
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