TUESDAY, 6.00PM:
AFTER a two-week lull in fighting, Ethiopian troops are mobilising on the common border with Eritrea, possibly preparing for a resumption of the conflict that has marred the area since May 6.
The Tigray Peoples’ Liberation Front, the key faction of the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front, on Monday called on citizens to “take up arms to teach an unforgettable lesson to the invading Eritrean army”.
The fighting in the area has ebbed, with no skirmishes reported in the past 12 days, after several cross-border air raids and artillery attacks that began on June 5.
According to witnesses, militiamen have been transported by the busload to various points on the front, particularly at the border town of Zala Ambessa, 600km north of Addis Ababa.
Ethiopian Government representative Selome Taddesse denied reports of fresh skirmishes at any of the fronts.
22