The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has announced that it has evacuated 16 seriously injured government soldiers from North Wollo zone of Amhara region of Ethiopia where intense fighting took place between government and Fano forces.
“The situation in the eastern part of the Amhara region deteriorated further at the end of September, when a sudden escalation of hostilities resulted in the large numbers of casualties, captured fighters and other severe humanitarian consequences,” ICRC said in a statement over the weekend.
The humanitarian organisation indicated that it has deployed two teams in response to the humanitarian crisis in the zone and received 16 heavily wounded government soldiers from the Fano forces.
“The soldiers were handed to the ICRC by the Amhara Fano forces across the front line and taken to Woldiya town, where they were transferred to government forces. On 9 October, staff also visited detainees held by Amhara Fano in North Wollo,” ICRC statement said.
The leader of the ICRC team deployed to the area, Martin Thalmann, is cited as saying that “Many people have been killed or wounded in North Wollo in recent days.”
He was deployed to the Kulmeks and Muja area, near Lalibela, where intense fighting was reported about two weeks ago.
Over 470 government soldiers were killed and many others wounded, according to unverified reports.
The ICRC has also stated that it has visited government soldiers captured during the recent Fano operation. Six IRCR delegates visited remote locations in North Wollo where the captured soldiers are held.
Previously, Fano forces have been taking care of wounded government soldiers and sending them back to their families.
MG/as/APA