Merkel is “under our control”, spokesperson for the former ruler of Tigray said Reuters

(Reuters)-The former ruling party in the Tigray region of Ethiopia said on Monday that it has regained control of the regional capital Merkel, and three residents reported that since November last year, the city had seen people wearing uniforms in the Tigray region for the first time. army.

Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) spokesperson Getaqiu Radar told Reuters via satellite phone: “Mekle, the capital of Tigray, is under our control.”

The Ethiopian Prime Minister’s spokesperson, the head of the government’s Tigray emergency working group, and the military spokesman did not immediately respond to calls and news seeking comment.

Witnesses told Reuters that some civilians took to the streets to celebrate after the army in Tigray military uniforms surrounded the martyrs monument. They said the fireworks light up the sky briefly.

Although residents did not witness the armed clashes in Merkler city centre, the developments on Monday came at a time when there were recent reports that fighting between government forces and the TPLF outside the city had escalated.

Last week, residents reported that TPLF troops had entered several towns north of Merkel, but at least once they retreated within a few hours.

A medical official told Reuters that more than 60 people were killed in an air strike in the town of Togoga, northwest of Merkel on Tuesday.

Colonel Getnet Adane, a spokesman for the Ethiopian military, said last week that only combatants, not civilians, were attacked.

The attack was one of the deadliest incidents reported in the region in months, and the regional government has stated that the largest fighting last year has ended.