NAIROBI
\nTigray rebels accused Ethiopian government forces and allied militias of launching a \u201clarge-scale offensive\u201d against southern Tigray on Wednesday.
\nThere was no immediate response from the Ethiopian government and the claims by the Tigray People\u2019s Liberation Front (TPLF) could not be independently verified as the region is under a communications blackout.
\n\u201cThey launched the offensive early this morning around 5:00 am local time (0200 GMT). We are defending our positions,\u201d TPLF spokesman Getachew Reda said in Nairobi in a brief message.
\nHe said on Twitter that the \u201clarge-scale\u201d offensive was launched \u201cagainst our positions in the southern front\u201d by the Ethiopian army and special forces and militias from the neighboring Amhara region.
\nThe TPLF claims come five months after a truce was declared in the brutal conflict in northern Ethiopia that erupted in November 2020.
\nOn Tuesday, the Ethiopian National Defense Force issued a statement accusing the TPLF of seeking to \u201cdefame\u201d the army by claiming government forces were moving toward their positions or shelling them with heavy weapons.
\nPrime Minister Abiy Ahmed\u2019s government and the TPLF have been locked in a war of words in recent weeks even as both sides have raised the prospect of peace talks to end the war.
\nThe two sides disagree on who should lead any negotiations, and the TPLF also insists basic services must be restored to the region of six million people before dialogue can begin.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NAIROBI Tigray rebels accused Ethiopian government forces and allied militias of launching a \u201clarge-scale offensive\u201d against southern Tigray on Wednesday. There was no immediate response from the Ethiopian government and the claims by the Tigray People\u2019s Liberation Front (TPLF) could not be independently verified as the region is under a communications blackout. \u201cThey launched the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":279325,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-279313","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n