Abiy says Ethiopia working to restore order in Tigray

ADDIS ABABA: Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Monday said efforts were under way to restore order in Tigray, where doctors and humanitarian workers say fighting and lawlessness were hindering aid delivery to desperate civilians.

Abiy, the winner of last year’s Nobel Peace Prize, on November 28 declared victory in Tigray after the army captured Mekele, the regional capital, following nearly a month of bloody conflict in the country’s north against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).

But the TPLF vowed to fight on and the United Nations said on Friday that continued clashes in Tigray were complicating efforts to reach hundreds of thousands of people in dire need, despite a deal granting them access to territory under federal control. Abiy repeated on Monday that military operations were over in Tigray, adding that the protection and security of civilians affected by the conflict "remains an essential priority".