The eyewitness in Mekelle told CNN she heard an explosion and saw smoke in the vicinity of Adi Haki Market, describing a scene of panic with people running around when she left her office following the blast.
A spokesman for the Tigray People's Liberation Front accused the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of inciting civilians in an attack on a busy market day. The Ethiopian government launched a military offensive to control the TPLF last November and fighting continues since.
One of the targets of the airstrikes was the Planet Hotel where a dozen or so humanitarian agencies used to have their employees, TPLF spokesman Getachew Reda claimed. Our people won't be cowed into submission by a desperate regime that is on the brink of collapse. The head of government communications in Ethiopia denied vehemently that it had carried out airstrikes. Why doesn't the government have any plans to terrorize its own people. Is it true, tulu told CNN. Those terrorists want to confuse the world by falsely claiming we are being attacked both by air and land to turn the world against Ethiopia. In a separate statement, the government spokespersons office said that the government of Ethiopia would like to demand the U.S. government and its partners not be influenced by the crying wolf TPLF and reduce the suffering of people in the north Wollo, Gonder, Wag Hemera of Amhara, and Afar regions.