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A dissident faction of the main political party in the northern region of Tigray of Ethiopia has seized the control of key offices and a radio station in the regional capital, Mekelle, in the midst of the growing fears of a new conflict.
Follow a deeper power struggle within the Front of Liberation of the Tigray people (TPLF), which has generated concerns of a return to the civil war.
A Mekelle resident told the BBC that people withdraw money from their bank accounts, fearing that the security situation could deteriorate.
On Tuesday, the same faction took control of Adigrat, the second largest city in Tigray.
Gethaww Reda, president of the Interim Administration of Tigray, accused the rival group, led by Debretsion Gebremichael, to try to withdraw it strongly from the position.
Gethaww became the leader of Tigray after a 2022 peace agreement that ended two years of conflict in the region, which killed approximately 500,000 people.
Debrettsion Gebremichael was previously the leader of the region, but during the last year, relations have been grated with the man who replaced him.
On Thursday, the members of the Debretission faction accompanied by armed soldiers took control of the Mekelle FM radio station and the mayor’s office in the city.
Shots were heard on Wednesday night in Adi-Gudem, a city near Mekelle, when the forces of the dissident faction tried to occupy a government building.
According to the reports, the forces arrested the mayor of the city and took control of the office.
Enghew has suspended three generals from Tigray’s defense forces, accusing the rival faction of trying to destabilize the region.
On Wednesday, Getachew asked the Ethiopian government to “provide necessary assistance”, without specifying the type of support.
He is currently in the capital of the country, Addis Abeba, for “consultations with federal authorities,” but told the BBC that he intends to return to Tigray.
Federal authorities in Ethiopia have not yet commented.
In a press release on Thursday, Gethaww accused his rivals of Coluding with neighbor Eritrea, who was involved in the Civil War of Tigray and has a frantic relationship with the Government of Ethiopia.
“We have reasons to believe that external actors are involved,” he said, accusing Eritrea of being among those who think “would benefit from tigray agitation.”
Eritrea denies such an intention, but his army fought in the previous war, where he was accused of mass murders and rape.
Two close -up allies have rejected the accusation that they are linked to Eritrea and minimized the possibility of another round of conflict.
In statements to the Newsday program of the BBC, Gettachew accused the high -ranking military officers of Tigrayan of trying to orchestrate an “open blow.”
Tensions have caused a new anxiety in the region, which has not yet recovered from the conflict that ended in 2022 after the TPLF and the Ethiopian government signed a peace agreement.
The agreement led to the creation of the interim administration, which is supposed to govern Tigray until the regional elections are held.
But delays in the implementation of the agreement have fed acute divisions within the TPLF.
Several countries, including the United States, Great Britain and the European Union, have warned about the growing tension, saying that there should be no “return to violence.”
On Thursday, France asked its nationals in Tigray to “stock up on emergency supplies and exercise the greatest caution.”
In a statement, the African Union said it was following the events in Tigray with “deep concern.”
Additional Wycliffe Muia reports
