Rebels from Ethiopia’s Tigray region seized Thursday and Friday the UNESCO World Heritage site of Lalibela, a town dating back to the 13th century known as a holy site for millions of Orthodox Christians.
The deputy mayor of Lalibela, Mandefro Tadesse, told Reuters the town was under the control of the Tigray rebels.
He said there had not been any shooting, but residents were fleeing from the town, where tens of thousands of Orthodox christians and christians flock every year.
“They came in the afternoon [5 August], and there was not any fighting. There were no security forces around. The TPLF forces are in the town now,” a Lalibela resident told AFP.
Thousands have been killed since war broke out last November, fighting is now spreading into Amhara and Afar, a region bordering Tigray.
Tigray has been mired in battles since last November when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sent his forces to oust the Tigray People’s Liberation Front(TPLF), the regional ruling party in power since 2018.
In June 2021, TPLF forces retook the Tigray capital, Mekelle, and the Ethiopian army largely withdrew.
Since then the Tigray People’s Liberation Front pressed east into neighboring Afar and south into neighboring Amhara, where Lalibela is located.
The movement of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front towards neighboring regions is largely condemned by the international community, with the UN and Washington stressing calls to end the conflict.
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