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The
Ethiopian government and its allies, who include neighbouring
Eritrea's army, have been fighting Tigray forces on and off
since late 2020. The conflict has killed thousands of civilians,
uprooted millions and left hundreds of thousands now facing
possible famine.
"It is ... imperative that the government of Ethiopia assumes
immediate control of all airports, other federal facilities, and
installations in the region," the government communication
service said in a statement.
While pursuing these objectives, it said, the government was
committed to a peaceful resolution of the conflict through
African Union-led peace talks.
A spokesman for the Tigray forces, Getachew Reda, did not
immediately respond to a request for comment. The Tigray
authorities said on Sunday their forces would abide by an
immediate truce and said a "humanitarian catastrophe" was
unfolding.
The conflict stems from grievances rooted in periods of
Ethiopia's turbulent past when particular regional power blocs
held sway over the country as a whole, and in tensions over the
balance of power between the regions and the central state.
The latest flare-up began in August after months of ceasefire,
with each side blaming the other.
Peace talks proposed for earlier this month in South Africa were
delayed with no new date announced. Diplomats involved in trying
to get the talks going have said privately that momentum was
lacking despite both sides saying they wanted talks.
"We seem to be trending towards a launch of talks. We're
impatient. People are dying. This needs to get going," a senior
Western official said.
Both sides deny each other's accusations of launching attacks
that have harmed civilians.
Diplomatic and humanitarian sources have reported daily shelling
of populated areas in Tigray. The African Union called on Sunday
for an immediate ceasefire and for humanitarian aid to resume.
U.S. officials including Samantha Power, the head of development
agency USAID, and Mike Hammer, Washington's special envoy for
the Horn of Africa, have also called for the violence to stop
and have condemned the Eritrean military's involvement.
"Eritrea’s re-entry into Ethiopia has made matters significantly
worse, it needs to withdraw and respect Ethiopia’s sovereignty -
as should others who are fuelling the conflict," Hammer said.
(Reporting by Nairobi newsroom; Writing by Estelle Shirbon;
Editing by James Macharia Chege and Nick Macfie)
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