On Tuesday, an attack in the southern city of Alamata killed at least 14 people and wounded 22 others, according to Tigray authorities. The city’s mayor, Mogos Shiferaw, told the BBC that more than five drones and one fighter jet had carried out more than 21 attacks starting at 03:30. “This caused a lot of psychological trauma in our city and our people were in a state of panic,” he said. Mogos said all of the dead and wounded were civilians. accusing federal forces of attacking two high schools. He believed they were attacked on suspicion that they were being used by Tigray forces. But the mayor said the schools, which had served as federal military bases during the Civil War, were unoccupied because the academic year had not yet begun. The BBC has not independently verified the allegations and the government has not commented on the alleged attacks. On Wednesday, Tigray authorities accused Addis Ababa of launching an “open invasion” of the region, urging people to support regional forces and maintain unity. They further accused the government of violating international humanitarian and human rights laws, saying public services and critical infrastructure had been disrupted. Meanwhile, the US State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs condemned another drone attack it said took place on Monday, targeting a convoy of Catholic vehicles carrying food aid. He called for an investigation and urged all parties to resolve their differences through dialogue and take measures to prevent similar incidents. Both Addis Ababa and TPLF leaders have faced criticism over delays in implementing key provisions of the Pretoria Agreement, the AU-brokered agreement that formally ended the conflict in November 2022. In July, Prime Minister Abiy accused the TPLF of preparing for a new conflict during a speech to parliament. Just before the May general election, which was not held in Tigray due to the security situation, the TPLF restored its pre-war administration, dissolving an interim one appointed by Abiy. There have also been reports that the TPLF has been forcibly recruiting youth to join its forces.
