The United Nations said an Ethiopian government airstrike on the capital of northern Tigray province on Friday caused a U.N. aid flight to abort a landing there.
People were fleeing conflict in the neighboring Amhara region. According to U.N. sources and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which controls the territory, a university in Mekelle was struck by the airstrike.
A former military base used by TPLF fighters was destroyed, according to government spokesman Legesse Tulu, who added that the university was not damaged.
As per the reports by TPLF-controlled Tigrai TV, 11 civilians suffered injuries in the airstrike. It is the fourth time this week that Mekelle has faced attacks.
All flights to Mekelle were halted by the United Nations after a U.N. plane with 11 people had to abort its landing on Friday.
According to the U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric, the flight from Addis Ababa got clearance from federal authorities. But the Mekelle airport control tower and led to the cancellation of the flight’s landing at the pre-determined site.
“This is the first time that we’ve had a flight turn around, at least to my knowledge, in Ethiopia since previous airstrikes on the ground forced it to do so,” senior U.N. head Gemma Connell said during a press conference in New York on Friday.
The passengers were aid workers heading to a location where roughly 7 million people, including 5 million in Tigray, require humanitarian assistance.
Dujarric added the flight returned safely to the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. The fight between the two sides is going on for around a year. As a result, many thousands of people have lost their lives.
Besides, over 2 million people have undergone displacement due to a power struggle between the TPLF and the central government.
For decades, the TPLF ruled Ethiopia’s governing party, which Abiy now leads. He is not a Tigrayan and took office in 2018 as the TPLF dominated the country for decades.
The government has increased air raids on Addis Ababa in response to the deteriorating situation in Amhara. In this neighboring province, the TPLF has taken control of land that the government and friendly armed Amhara militant groups are attempting to retake.
Due to the whole situation, the entire city is facing intense panic. And people hear sounds of heavy gunfires in the city.