Rebels of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) are closing in on Addis Ababa after capturing the strategic town of Shewa Robit, 220km north of the Ethiopian capital.
Information reaching APA suggests that the TPLF-OLF joint force attacked the town with mortars, wounding and killing several people and witnesses say churches have been burnt down and the town looted.
Shewa Robit was defended by Amhara Fano and militia, but they were out-gunned by TPLF and OLF fighters, eyewitnesses told APA.
The Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) under the direct command of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has made no effort to defend the town, the witnesses told APA by telephone.
TPLF-OLF forces have been trying to capture Shewa Robit since last week.
For reasons not made clear, Fano and Amhara militia have been prevented by ENDF from defending the town.
Ethiopian federal forces have practically stopped fighting in the Amhara Region after its southern Wollo front collapsed.
The task of defending against TPLF and OLF has fallen entirely on the shoulders of Amhara regional forces whose fighting efforts have been undermined by inadequate logistical support from the federal government, military sources say.
MG/abj/APA