Warnings over Tigray’s ‘dire’ conflict

The injury-plagued life and death of Asmelash Woldeselassie highlights the brutality and cyclical nature of conflicts in Ethiopia's mountainous Tigray region. Asmelash, who joined the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) in 1975, lost his eyesight when he was bombed in his hideout in the Imba Alaje mountain. In a recent conflict, Asmelash – who was a member of the TPLF executive – was killed along with two other veterans, former Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin and former Federal Affairs Minister Abay Tsehaye. BBC News reports that there are claims that they were shot dead in cold blood, but the official version is that they were killed in a cave area after they refused to surrender. Their deaths came on top of the capture of several other TPLF stalwarts, including Sebhat Nega, who was paraded in front of the cameras in handcuffs and looking dishevelled, in a scene reminiscent of the capture of Iraq's former ruler Saddam Hussein in 2003. It is unclear what charges he faces. Aid agencies have reported that the conflict –which came amid the coronavirus pandemic and a locust infestation of crops – has caused a ‘dire’ situation.