Tigray group says Eritrea and Ethiopia have begun joint military offensive

Ethiopian and Eritrean forces began an offensive in four areas in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region, a senior member of the dissident Tigray People’s Liberation Front said, the latest indication that a truce in the civil war in the Horn of Africa country is unravelling.

The attacks started early on Thursday morning in north-western Tigray, Getachew Reda said on Twitter. Ethiopia and Eritrea are “co-ordinating their efforts to turn this into a regional conflagration. We are ready to defend ourselves,” he said.

Eritrea joining the conflict would signal an escalation in hostilities in Tigray, a week after clashes erupted after a five-month humanitarian ceasefire. Last week, Ethiopia’s air force said it shot down a plane ferrying weapons that crossed the border from neighbouring Sudan, whose government is at odds with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s administration over Ethiopia’s construction of a huge hydropower dam.

The resumption of fighting will hamper efforts by Ethiopia’s government to improve relations with international financiers, as it awaits an International Monetary Fund loan as part of efforts to revamp its debt.

Yields on Ethiopia’s $1 billion in Eurobonds due in 2024 have surged more than 500 basis points since the conflict resumed on August 24. The yield was at 38.03 per cent by 2:38pm in London on Thursday.

Ethiopian Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen told diplomats in the capital, Addis Ababa, on Thursday that the government had taken measures against rebel Tigray forces with “utmost care to avoid civilian casualties”.

The “TPLF has been violating the spirit of the humanitarian truce through hostile rhetoric, recruiting child soldiers, and engaging in public mobilisation planning for yet another round of hostilities”, he said in a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Ethiopian government’s communication service also released a statement accusing the Tigrayans of launching attacks “from all directions” and killing innocent civilians. It did not specifically address reports of Eritrea entering the conflict.

Eritrea is a longtime foe of the TPLF, which effectively ruled Ethiopia from 1991 until 2018. The two nations went to war in 1998 over a border dispute. That conflict officially ended in 2018, when Mr Abiy came to office and signed a peace deal with Eritrea, and won the Nobel Peace Prize as a result.

Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki then backed Ethiopia when Mr Abiy ordered an incursion into Tigray after TPLF forces attacked a federal army base.

The US on Thursday called for an immediate end to the latest hostilities.

“We remain deeply concerned at the resumption of fighting and the lives that it puts at risk,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

Mr Getachew said heavy artillery is being used around Shiraro town close to Eritrea’s border. The area flanks Western Tigray, a flat region of fertile farmland bordering Sudan that was seized by forces from Ethiopia’s Amhara region and Eritrea soon after the civil war began in November 2020.

Tigray forces have insisted Western Tigray be given back to the region before peace talks can commence with Mr Abiy’s government. Taking control of the town of Humera on the border with Sudan is also considered highly strategic by the Tigrayans because it can open up supply corridors and allows them to potentially launch their own offensive on Eritrea.

If you go

The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Luang Prabang via Bangkok, with a return flight from Chiang Rai via Bangkok for about Dh3,000, including taxes. Emirates and Thai Airways cover the same route, also via Bangkok in both directions, from about Dh2,700.
The cruise
The Gypsy by Mekong Kingdoms has two cruising options: a three-night, four-day trip upstream cruise or a two-night, three-day downstream journey, from US$5,940 (Dh21,814), including meals, selected drinks, excursions and transfers.
The hotels
Accommodation is available in Luang Prabang at the Avani, from $290 (Dh1,065) per night, and at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort from $1,080 (Dh3,967) per night, including meals, an activity and transfers.

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative

Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?

George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.

Hunting park to luxury living

Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid

SCORES IN BRIEF

Lahore Qalandars 186 for 4 in 19.4 overs
(Sohail 100,Phil Salt 37 not out, Bilal Irshad 30, Josh Poysden 2-26)
bt Yorkshire Vikings 184 for 5 in 20 overs
(Jonathan Tattersall 36, Harry Brook 37, Gary Ballance 33, Adam Lyth 32, Shaheen Afridi 2-36).

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Moral education needed in a 'rapidly changing world'

Moral education lessons for young people is needed in a rapidly changing world, the head of the programme said.

Alanood Al Kaabi, head of programmes at the Education Affairs Office of the Crown Price Court - Abu Dhabi, said: "The Crown Price Court is fully behind this initiative and have already seen the curriculum succeed in empowering young people and providing them with the necessary tools to succeed in building the future of the nation at all levels.

"Moral education touches on every aspect and subject that children engage in.

"It is not just limited to science or maths but it is involved in all subjects and it is helping children to adapt to integral moral practises.

"The moral education programme has been designed to develop children holistically in a world being rapidly transformed by technology and globalisation."