Sawt Falasteen - Drone hits Ethiopia IDP camp as fears grow of regional war

Fighting broke out between the rebel Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and federal forces on September 23, sparking fears of a return to the devastating civil war of 2020-2022 and a wider regional conflict.

The drone strike hit early Sunday at the IDP camp at Sheraro in western Tigray -- home to thousands displaced during the last war -- killing "eight people, including a child" and seriously wounding six others, an aid worker told AFP.

A witness, who also asked for anonymity, said "a mother along with her four children and one grandson were killed in the strike", along with three others.

Verification is difficult as media are prevented from travelling to affected areas and there are significant communication disruptions.

- Fears of regional war -

In recent days, federal forces have pushed back the rebel offensive and marched north to seize control of the Tigrayan capital, Mekelle, long under the control of the TPLF.

The fighting has sparked fears it could provoke a wider war, especially if the TPLF retreats across the border into Eritrea, which the Ethiopian government accuses of supporting the rebels.

The leaders of Ethiopia's regional rivals -- Eritrea, Egypt, Somalia and Sudan -- met in the Egyptian city of El-Alamein on Sunday to discuss the conflict.

"The continued northward advance of Ethiopian troops and drone strikes in northern Tigray suggest that Ethiopian forces are preparing conditions for a conflict with Eritrea," Edward Bach, of risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft, said in a briefing note.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has long insisted that his country has a right to access the sea and Eritrea fears he plans to invade and seize its port at Assab.

Battlefield advances come at a useful time for Abiy, who was expected to be appointed to a second term as prime minister when parliament returned on Monday following his party's emphatic election victory earlier this year.

Abiy has not commented publicly on the current fighting, in keeping with Ethiopia's near-total shutdown of media reporting of sensitive issues.

- Mekelle patrols -

In the Tigrayan capital, banks and petrol stations remained closed two days after TPLF leaders and troops abandoned the city to federal forces.

Public transport was operating and a few shops were open as pro-government forces patrolled the streets.

A major difference from the last civil war is that the government has been able to mobilise Tigrayans who oppose the TPLF's control of the state.

A militia called the Tigray Peace Force has been a leading force for the government as it pushes into rebel territory.

D.Khalil--SF-PST