Ethiopia retakes Tigrayan held town

Ethiopia says it has retaken the rebel-held town of Chifra, but denies any involvement in a separate attack on a Sudan army post.

Ethiopia's state media says it has seized the town of Chifra from Tigrayan rebel forces, but the government is denying a separate deadly attack on a Sudanese army post.

Sudanese military forces say six soldiers were killed in an attack by Ethiopia on an army post near the border between the countries.

Ethiopia denies the attack.

Sudan's army said on Facebook that "groups of the Ethiopian army and militias attacked its forces in Al-Fashaga Al-sughra, which resulted in deaths ... our forces valiantly repelled the attack and inflicted heavy losses in lives and equipment on the attackers".

The army statement did not provide any details about the death toll. The military sources, speaking to Reuters, later said six Sudanese soldiers were killed.

Ethiopian government spokesperson Legesse Tulu said Ethiopia's military did not carry out any attack on Sudan.

"It is a baseless information that is disseminated by multiple media that our army attacked Sudan. Ethiopian Defence Force has no agenda of attacking any sovereign country," he said in comments aired on state-run Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation.

Meanwhile, Ethiopian state-run media says the army has retaken the town of Chifra in Afar region in the first major seizure from Tigrayan forces since the Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed appeared on the frontline two days ago.

The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) captured Chifra, on the border between the northern Afar and Amhara regions, after fighting intensified last month between Ethiopian troops and forces loyal to the TPLF.

"Ethiopian Defense Forces and Afar Special Forces have controlled Chifra," the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation said on its Twitter account.

It did not give further details.

On Sunday, Israel announced it had approved the immigration of several thousand Jews from war-torn Ethiopia, in a move that will reunite a large number of splintered families.

Some 140,000 Ethiopian Jews live in Israel with community leaders estimating roughly 6000 others remain behind.

Although the families are of Jewish descent, and many are practising Jews, Israel is not allowing them into the country under religious law, but rather though a family-reunification program.

with AP


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Published 29 November 2021 6:03am
Source: AAP


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