Dessie-Woldia Road Blocked as Fano & Tigray Forces Advance
Dessie-Woldia road has been blocked as Fano & Tigray forces are advancing in the Amhara region of Ethiopia.
The road connecting two major cities in the Amhara region was blocked this morning after Fano militias and Tigray regional forces started joint attacks on the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) in the Amhara region. Woldia city is located in the north Wollo zone of the Amhara region. While Dessie is a major city in the south Wollo zone. Traffic flow between Dessie and Woldia has been severely disrupted since this morning because of ongoing fighting between opposition forces and ENDF. According to local sources, Fano and Tigray fighters are trying to encircle Woldia city by cutting off four main roads leading to the city, the road from Dessie being one of the major one.
Last night, Tigray fighters took control of airports in Mekelle, Shire and Aksum cities. Ethiopian Airlines today confirmed that all civilian flights to and from Tigray region have been suspended.
Fano militias and Tigray fighters have formed a 7 member opposition armed alliance. Tibibir Lewliwona (Alliance for Survival) is the name of the alliance. The alliance consists of Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), Amhara Fano National Movement (AFNM), Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), Afar National Unity Revolution Front (ANURF), Benishangul People’s Liberation Front (BPLF), Gumuz People’s Democratic Movement (GPDM). The alliance announced this week that it will overthrow Ethiopian federal government and establish a transitional government in Ethiopia for political, democratic and constitutional reforms.
Ethiopian federal government and Tigray regional forces ended two year long civil war in November 2022 when they signed peace treaty in Pretoria. Both parties have been accusing each other of violating the treaty.
For the last two months, Ethiopian federal government has been conducting drone strikes on Tigray military while Tigray leaders have been establishing a large alliance with other Ethiopian opposition groups. Since yesterday, hostilities have been escalating as fighting on multiple fronts involving heavy weapons is being reported in Amhara and Afar regions.
