Ethiopia government denies air strikes that killed at least 20 children

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Ethiopia government denies air strikes that killed at least 20 children

Jens Laerke, spokesperson of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs OCHA said at a briefing in Geneva that local health workers in the Mekelle hospital confirmed that the children had been killed as a result of an air strike on the outskirts of the city.

A second air strike in nearby town injured nine people and caused damage to buildings, Laerke said, adding that the intensification of the conflict is very alarming. The state-run Ethiopian Press Agency reported Monday that the Ethiopian Air Force launched a successful offensive against a TPLF communication network and military facility in Mekelle. Airstrikes were carried out with the utmost precision to prevent civilian casualties, the report said.

At least 30 bodies float down the river between Ethiopia's Tigray and Sudan Earlier Monday, Ethiopia's government communications chief Leggese Tulu denied the strikes, saying that the government doesn't have any plans to terrorize its own people. Those terrorists are trying to confuse the world by falsely telling us that we are being attacked both by air and land, to turn the world against Ethiopia, Tulu told CNN. In a separate statement, the government spokesperson's office also said that the government of Ethiopia would like to demand to the US and its partners not to be swayed by the crying wolf TPLF and downplay the suffering of people in the N. Wollo, Gonder, Wag Hemera of Amhara, and Afar regions. The Ethiopian military have been in control of much of Tigray since November 20th, when it launched a major assault in the region with the support of Eritrean soldiers and local militias in an effort to remove the TPLF from power. It was the last time airstrikes were launched on Mekelle. An eyewitness of Tuesday's incident 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. One resident of the city told Reuters that one strike struck near a market, behind a hotel. An aid worker and a doctor in the region also shared reports of an attack and a diplomat shared pictures with Reuters of what they said was the aftermath, including pools of blood and broken windows. Laerke reminded all parties of their responsibility according to international humanitarian law on Tuesday: We also call for unrestricted and sustained humanitarian access to all people in need, who need our supplies. They also need fuel and cash. UN says food aid in the conflict-stricken Tigray region will run out Friday as 400,000 people face famine On Monday, UN Secretary-General Stephane Dujarric said through his spokesman Ant nio Guterres that he was deeply concerned over the escalation of the conflict and reiterated his call for all hostilities to stop. Ethiopia has seen a wave of atrocities over the past 11 months of conflict, which has left 2 million to flee, fueled famine and forced thousands of people dead. The conflict bears, by many accounts, hallmarks of genocide. In late September, Ethiopia has said that it was expelling seven senior United Nations officials just days after the UN's aid chief warned that the Tigray region was descending into famine due to the government's blockade of aid deliveries. An estimated 18,600 children in Tigray, under 5 years of age, have been admitted for treatment for severe acute malnutrition SAM from February to August this year, according to UNICEF. That's a 100% increase compared to 2020, it said.