Ethiopia: Tigray People’s Liberation Front rebels take control of UNESCO site Lalibela
Rebels from Ethiopia’s war-hit Tigray region on Thursday seized Lalibela, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the neighbouring Amhara region famed for its 12th-century rock-hewn churches, residents told AFP.
“They came in the afternoon, and there was not any fighting. There were no security forces around. The TPLF forces are in the town now,” said one resident, referring to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.
Tigray has been wracked by fighting since last November, when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sent troops to topple the TPLF, the regional ruling party which dominated national politics before Abiy took office in 2018.
Abiy, winner of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, said the move came in response to TPLF attacks on army camps.