Tigray rebels reclaim Ethiopian heritage village Lalibela: Neighbors | Conflict News

TPLF forces are patrolling the village, witnesses say, less than two weeks after government forces said they had recaptured it.

The Tigray rebels have recaptured the northern Ethiopian town of Lalibela, Reuters and AFP reported, citing local neighbors, less than two weeks after government forces and their allies took control of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Tigray fighters “are in town, there is no fighting,” a neighbor said by phone on Sunday evening.

“They were back. They’re already here, ”said another, and they seemed to be coming from the east, toward Waldia.

“The population, most people are scared. Some are fleeing. Most people had already left because there might have been some revenge. We expressed our joy when the board left. ”

Lalibela has 11 churches carved into the medieval rock and a pilgrimage site for the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

The military leader of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) rebel group said in a statement shared with pro-TPLF media that they have launched “broad counterattacks” in several places, including the road linking Gashena and Lalibela.

“Our forces first defended themselves against the massive force that was attacking Gashena and the surrounding front and then counterattacked to achieve a magnificent victory,” he said.

Government spokeswoman Legesse Tulu did not respond to requests for comment on the recovery of the village.

Getachew Reda, a TPLF spokesperson, also did not respond to a phone call for comment.

A witness who spoke to Reuters said that special forces in the Amhara region and allies of their fighters, both allies of the Ethiopian government, had begun withdrawing from Lalibela on Saturday night.

“The last batch left this morning. Last night we heard gunshots but Tigris forces retook Lalibela without firing a gun in the village, ”the witness, the hotel receptionist, said by telephone.

In front of Abiy

Military sources told Al Jazeera that pro-government forces were advancing on the city of Waldia, a TPLF stronghold.

TPLF-affiliated forces took control of the town in early August.

But on December 1, Ethiopian troops and allies in the Amhara region recaptured the town.

The news was one of the gains in the battlefield against Tigris forces, as they pushed south in November and threatened to march on the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

On Saturday night, the office of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said in a tweet that he had gone “back to the front” and that the forces under his leadership had taken several strategic locations including the cities of Afar and Amhara, Arjo, Fokisa and Boren.

Abiy went direct military operations himself, dressed in a battle uniform and surrounded by soldiers, addressing the citizens.

“We will continue with the rest of the field … nothing will stop us. The enemy will be destroyed, ”he said this week.

The bomber struck shortly after noon in front of a rally on Friday, removing hundreds of protesters by truck.

Last week the government announced that it was in full force he recaptured strategic cities Dessie and Kombolcha.

Earlier this month, the government said it would step down he reclaimed several small towns such as Shewa Robit, a town 220 kilometers (135 miles) from the capital Addis Ababa.

In late November, an Ethiopian state spokesman said government forces He took the town of Chifra Dinner in the region.

The long-running conflict between the federal government and the northern Tigray regional leader has killed thousands of civilians, forced millions to flee their homes and left more than nine million people dependent on food aid.

A second witness told Reuters on Sunday that neighbors began fleeing the village. “We were terrified, we never saw this coming. TPLF forces are patrolling the town wearing uniforms, ”the witness said.