Ethiopia PM orders final offensive against dissident Tigray leaders

Ethiopia’s army -- which in recent days said it was advancing on Mekele with tanks -- had been directed “to conclude the third and final phase” against the TPLF

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Thursday ordered Ethiopia’s army to launch a final offensive against Tigray’s dissident leaders in their regional capital Mekele, saying the deadline for surrender had expired.

Since the fighting began, more than 40,000 people have fled to eastern Sudan and rockets have fallen on the Eritrean capital Asmara and Ethiopian cities outside Tigray (AP)

Abiy, the winner of last year’s Nobel Peace Prize, late Sunday gave the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) 72 hours to lay down their arms.

The ultimatum was rejected by the leaders of the region, whose forces have been fighting federal troops in the country’s north for three weeks, displacing over 40,000 people and killing hundreds.

Ethiopia’s army -- which in recent days said it was advancing on Mekele with tanks -- had been directed “to conclude the third and final phase” against the TPLF, Abiy said.