Tigray faces more fighting as nationwide famine looms

Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region is facing another military offensive and a famine that could affect food supplies in other parts of the country.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government is rallying fighters from across Ethiopia.

The government has called on loyalists in the regional states of Oromia, Sidama and Amhara to join the effort to subdue rebels who have recaptured major cities in Tigray, including the capital Mekele.

The Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region is also sending fighters.

The UN said 91 per cent of the population of Tigray, more than five million people, are in need of emergency food aid.

There are fears that Ethiopia could experience a repeat of its 1980s famine, which killed at least 200,000 people. Some estimates suggest more than a million died.

Mr Abiy said last month that the government spent more than $2 billion in Tigray, not including the cost of the military operation.

The conflict was meant to have been short-lived, he said.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International has joined the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission in calling for the end of the arbitrary detention of Tigrayans.

“Following the withdrawal of the Ethiopian National Defence Force from parts of Tigray and the announcement of a unilateral ceasefire by the federal government on 28 June, for the last two weeks Tigrayans in Addis Ababa have been arbitrarily arrested and detained,” Amnesty said.