ADDIS ABABA. Sept 29 – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Monday facilitated the evacuation of 161 individuals from Ethiopia’s conflict-affected Tigray region following a fresh surge in regional military tensions.
“On Monday, we transferred 161 people altogether out of conflict-affected Tigray, acting as a neutral and independent intermediary, based on the request and approval of all authorities concerned,” the ICRC said in an official statement.
The evacuees included personnel and family members from the Ethiopian Federal Police, Ethiopian Airlines staff and their families, civil aviation security officers, African Union monitors, and members of the Ethiopian Red Cross Society.
Transportation was arranged from Mekelle, the regional capital of Tigray, to Semera in the neighboring Afar region using ICRC-marked buses accompanied by Red Cross personnel.
The evacuation comes amid renewed hostilities in northern Ethiopia following the recent formation of a new alliance comprising seven opposition and armed factions.
The Ethiopian National Defence Force reported on Thursday that it had repelled a major offensive launched by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), resulting in the deaths of 272 TPLF fighters and the seizure of weapons and ammunition in the country’s northeastern sector.
–NMT
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