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Ethiopian airstrikes in Tigray force UN flight to turn back


In this Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021 file photo, smoke from fires billows at the scene of an airstrike in Mekele, the capital of the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021. Aid workers say Ethiopian military airstrikes have forced a United Nations humanitarian flight to abandon its landing in the capital of the country’s Tigray region. A government spokesman confirms that authorities had been aware of the inbound flight. The development appears to be a sharp escalation in the intimidation tactics that authorities have used against aid workers amid the intensifying, year-long Tigray war.


NAIROBI, Kenya — Ethiopian military airstrikes on Friday forced a United Nations humanitarian flight to abandon its landing in the capital of the country’s Tigray region, aid workers said, and a government spokesman said authorities were aware of the inbound flight. It appeared to be a sharp escalation in intimidation tactics authorities have used against aid workers amid the intensifying, year-long Tigray war.

“A U.N. Humanitarian Air Services flight which had been cleared by federal authorities to transport 11 passengers from Addis Ababa to Mekele on 22 October received instructions to abort landing by the Mekele airport control tower,” the World Food Program told The Associated Press. It safely returned to Addis Ababa, and the U.N. and partners “are carefully reviewing the circumstances.”

WFP said all such flights into Mekele “have been suspended until further notice.” The city is the main base of humanitarian operations in Tigray.

The friction between the government and humanitarian groups is occurring amid the world’s worst hunger crisis in a decade, with close to a half-million people in Tigray said to be facing famine-like conditions. The government since June has imposed what the U.N. calls a “de facto humanitarian blockade” on the region of some 6 million people, and the AP has reported that people have begun to starve to death.

Ethiopian government spokesman Legesse Tulu told the AP authorities were aware the U.N. flight was in the area but said the U.N. and military flights had a “different time and direction.” It wasn’t immediately clear how close the planes came to each other.

Tigray forces spokesman Getachew Reda in a tweet said “our air defense units knew the U.N. plane was scheduled to land and it was due in large measure to their restraint it was not caught in a crossfire.” He suggested that Ethiopian authorities were “setting up the U.N. plane to be hit by our guns.”
A military spokesman didn’t respond to questions.

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The Federal people must have caught up with the tricks of TPLF..if they indeed did as alleged. However, I really doubt they are capable of thinking this smart.

That is another lie. If TPLF is capable of shooting down an airplane, why the Ethiopian Air Force would keep flying without facing any danger for several days.
By the way the Ethiopian Air Force primary objective is to degrade such capability if TPLF ever had. Baghdad Bob is trying to make the best out of the worst week experience.
Remember a few days ago, he was boasting the Ethiopian defense force will never come close to Mekele.
Well, the Ethiopian Air Force has a different fact.

Ethiopian airstrikes on Mekelle happened when the WFP airplane was about to land in Mekelle

#AbiyAhmed’s Air Force did once again strike non-military targets around #MU campus. While this is not outrageous enough, a #UN Aircraft had to abort its landing because of the air strike.

Our air defense units knew the UN plane was scheduled to land & it was due in large measure to their restraint it was not caught in a crossfire. What begs the question however is the government cleared the UN plane to fly to #Mekelle only to send its fighter jet in time to raid civilian targets.

While the use of the UN flight as a distraction couldn’t be ruled out, it is not entirely implausible to suspect that the Smart Alecs in Addis were indeed setting up the UN plane to be hit by our guns. The fact that the plane that came today was denied permit yesterday couldn’t be a mere coincidence. #Abiy’s moves beg for action!

#TigrayShallPrevail!

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