Khartoum (HAN) November 16, 2020. Public Diplomacy and regional security initiatives. The Ethiopia’s new civil war in the northern front between the federal troops and TPLF rebels in Tigray region, has changed the norms of war in the region. The russian missiles attacks on Amhara airports in northern Ethiopia and Asmara Airport of Eritrea, are fuelling international attention and fears that the civil my ignite another mass exodus across the region of the Horn of Africa. The TPLF leader of the Tigray region, Debretsion Gebremichael, claimed responsibility for the missile attacks in Ethiopia’s neighbouring Amhara region and said he would not hesitate to attack Eritrea.
The internal civil war, has interred into a dangerous security levels, after TPLF forces fired russian made missiles at Asmara, capital of Eritrea, whose soldiers have allegedly crossed the border to enter the conflict on the side of the Ethiopian government to retake Badame and Zalambase zones.
Geeska Afrika Online contributor in Asmara confirmed that two of the Russian made missiles reportedly hit the Asmara airport and another location, which damaged a local telecommunication apparatus.“I heard a loud blast and then suddenly people were running in all directions,” said one eyewitness in Asmara, “It looked like long-range missiles.” The missile in this case is the Soviet made Buk-system. This was created as a successor to the earlier 2K12 Kub, which had proved to be a serious threat to aircrafts operating at high and medium altitude in northern Ethiopia.
“Eritrea has sent troops over the border to attack us,” Mr Gebremichael said in a broadcast on a Tigrayan regional broadcaster. “We will use everything at our disposal to defend ourselves.”
A day earlier, Tigray forces (TPLF) fired rockets at two airports in the neighbouring Amhara region of Ethiopia. The Ethiopian local Airports in the cities of Gondar and Bahir-Dar were damaged and casualties were suffered among Ethiopian troops, according to reports from Tigray region. There are also dangerous tensions between Ethiopia and Egypt over a massive Ethiopian hydroelectric dam on the Nile. The new TPLF missile attack on Eritrea has led to widespread concerns that the war is escalating out of control, if the international community and Russia will not involve these conflict, since Mr. Putin has a direct communications and friendship both Eritrean Leaders and Ethiopian prime minister, as well as former leaders of TPLF.
Former U.S. national security adviser Susan Rice and friend of Ethiopia and leadership of TPLF called for “fast” leadership by the US State Department to defuse the Ethiopian internal conflict, while U.S. Senator Chris Coons said the Ethiopian civil war is a threat to millions of Ethiopians and “could have devastating humanitarian consequences in the strategically important Red Sea region, such as Sudan, Yemen, Djibouti and Eritrea.”
Readers Comments & Opinion to: Han@geeskaafrika.com
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