Ethiopia's government said on Wednesday its soldiers had recaptured a city in southern Tigray from Tigrayan fighters, marking its first major advance inside the war-torn region in many months and dashing hopes for peace following a rebel retreat.
The Tigray People's Liberation Front rebel group, which announced its withdrawal from the Amhara and Afar regions this week and called for a halt to fighting, did not immediately react to the government's claims.
The government communication service said the “gallant Ethiopian Defense Forces and the Amhara region security forces after sweeping the enemy force… have captured Alamata city”, indicating that fighting would continue.
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Although unconfirmed, the TPLF pullout from Amhara and Afar had raised hopes there would be talks to end a 13-month conflict that has killed thousands and created a humanitarian crisis with parts of the country on the brink of famine.
Both sides have been claiming major territorial gains in recent months, with the rebels at one point claiming to be only 200 kilometers (125 miles) by road from the capital Addis Ababa.
But since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed — the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize winner — headed to the front last month, according to state media, the government has claimed to have retaken a string of key towns.
The government has dismissed Monday's withdrawal announcement by the TPLF as a cover-up for military setbacks.
Communications have been cut in the conflict zone and access for journalists is restricted, making it difficult to verify battlefield claims.
The fighting in Africa's second most populous nation has displaced more than two million people and more than nine million are in need of food aid, according to UN estimates.
There have been reports of massacres, mass rapes and other atrocities by all sides, and the UN Human Rights Council last week ordered a probe into a wide range of alleged abuses, a move condemned by Addis Ababa.
The war broke out in November last year when Abiy sent troops into Tigray to topple the TPLF, the region's ruling party which had dominated national politics for three decades until he took power in 2018.
He accused its fighters of attacking army camps and vowed a swift victory. But the TPLF mounted a shock comeback, recapturing most of Tigray by June and then advancing into Afar and Amhara.
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