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A6 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 25 augusT 2022

Large-scale’ fighting shatters lull in Ethiopia’s Tigray

‘By CARA ANNA Ethiopian military spokes-
Associated Press man Getnet Adane didn’t
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — respond to questions. The
Ethiopia’s military has government’s communica-
launched a “large-scale” tion service in a statement
offensive for the first time asserted that the Tigray
in a year in the country’s forces launched attacks
northern Tigray region, Ti- Wednesday morning. It
gray authorities alleged said if attacks continue,
Wednesday, while the gov- “the government will take
ernment countered that measures to save the coun-
Tigray forces attacked first. try ... and also bring (Tigray
The renewed conflict is a forces) to the negotiating
significant setback to me- table whether it likes it or
diation efforts and the work not.”
to reach millions of people Ethiopia’s government has
starved of food and other said it’s ready for talks, but
needs. insists the African Union
The claims followed months must lead mediation ef-
of regrouping by one of forts. Tigray authorities have
Africa’s largest militaries. criticized the continental
Ethiopia’s military this week body’s efforts and urgently
warned the public against sought the resumption of
any reporting of troop Ethiopian government soldiers ride in the back of a truck on a road near Agula, north of Mekele, telephone, banking and
movements. Journalists in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia on May 8, 2021. Associated Press other services that have
haven’t been allowed into been largely cut off since
Tigray for more than a year. day. with The Associated Press mand’s statement the war began.
The Tigray conflict began The Tigray conflict had says Tigray leaders had Wednesday said Ethiopian Earlier this month, World
in November 2020, killing calmed in recent months “conducted two rounds of forces, along with Amhara Health Organization di-
thousands of people in Af- amid slow-moving media- confidential face-to-face special forces and Amhara rector-general Tedros Ad-
rica’s second-most popu- tion efforts. talks with senior military militias, “have started a hanom Ghebreyesus, an
lous country. But last week, the spokes- and civilian officials,” the large-scale attack around ethnic Tigrayan, described
Now, as then, both sides woman for Prime Minister first confirmation of direct 5:00 a.m. in the direction of the crisis in Tigray as “the
have acted at a moment Abiy Ahmed asserted to talks. But the letter says Alamata, southern Tigray.” worst disaster on Earth”
when the world was fo- journalists that Tigray au- “unacceptable conditions Tigray forces spokesman and wondered aloud if the
cused elsewhere the U.S. thorities were “refusing to have been inserted into the Getachew Reda tweeted reason global leaders have
presidential election in 2020 accept peace talks.” peace process,” and it urg- that the offensive followed not responded was due to
and the six-month mark of An Aug. 23 letter signed by es the international com- a “week-long provocation” “the color of the skin of the
the Ukraine war Wednes- Tigray leader Debretsion munity to step in quickly. by forces in the neighbor- people in Tigray.”q
Gebremichael and shared The Tigray military com- ing Amhara region.

Colombia’s police will boost efforts to replace coca fields

By MANUEL RUEDA operations had been sus- tion of coca crops, which the impact of anti-narcot- coca bushes out of the
Associated Press pended. The paper later was suspended in 2015. ics policies on people who ground with shovels, or
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) reported that Sanabria’s Sanabria, who was named “have the least responsibil- kill coca plants with crop
— Colombia’s police force communication team ex- to the post last week, said ity for drug trafficking.” dusters and most recently
said a newspaper mis- plained that Sanabria re- during the internview that His statements reflect the drones.
reported Tuesday that it ferred only to aerial fumiga- police are trying to lessen priorities of Colombia’s But forceful eradication op-
suspended operations to newly innaugurated presi- erations have led to violent
forcibly eradicate coca dent, Gustavo Petro, a confrontations between
fields as the country’s new leftist who said during his police and farmers, who
leftist government seeks to campaign that he wants argue that the lack of in-
change its approach to to find new ways to fight frastructure in remote parts
dealing with illegal drugs. drug trafficking, including of Colombia makes other
A police statement said putting a greater empha- crops economically unvi-
that manual eradication sis on rural development in able. Over the years, doz-
teams are still operating areas that are still produc- ens of police officers who
but added that officials are ing large amounts of coca participated in eradica-
stepping up efforts to per- leaf, which is the basic in- tion operations have been
suade farmers to voluntarily gredient in cocaine. killed by snipers or injured
adopt alternative crops. Previously, governments in by landmines.
The Bogota newspaper El Colombia set annual tar- The eradication programs
Tiempo initially reported gets for eradicating coca received financial and
that the nation’s new po- crops, and deployed thou- technical support from the
lice director, Gen. Henry New Colombian police chief, Gen. Henry Sanabria, parades sands of police and sol- United States, but failed to
Sanabria, said during an during his swearing-in ceremony in Bogota, Colombia, Friday, diers to remote parts of the make a significant dent on
interview that eradication Aug. 19, 2022. country to manually pull the cocaine trade.q
Associated Press