It should be recalled that after driving the TPLF militias out of the Amhara and Afar regions, the government halted the advance of federal troops into Tigray. TPLF forces, on the other hand, reversed their retreat and started raids into Amhara and Afar. On the 25th of January, they made an official announcement, confirming the intensification of their offensive in the Afar region. They occupied numerous towns and villages in three Woredas in the Afar region in the most recent attacks, displacing about 200 thousand civilians across the region. Furthermore, they controlled Ab’ala, which serves as the last land humanitarian corridor to Tigray. WFP convoys on their route to Tigray were forced to return to a base on January 27, 2022.

Regardless, the federal government is working tirelessly to guarantee that the inhabitants of the region receive life-saving supplies. Since July 2021, it has sent 658 metric tons of medical supplies to Tigray via seven international aid organizations on 18 trucks, not to mention the 100,000 quintals of grain TPLF stolen from the National Disaster Risk Management Commission warehouse in Kombolcha. The administration has also just granted permission to 118 World Food Program relief trucks to carry food and non-food items to Tigray. Most importantly, regular flights to Mekelle have been made possible to help ease the humanitarian crisis precipitated by the TPLF’s incursion along the current humanitarian corridor. Moreover, roughly 200 additional trucks from other aid organizations are anticipated to arrive in Ethiopia soon to further enhance the aid delivery.

According to accounts, the terrorist group confiscates most of the aid that reaches the Tigray province, making the amount of aid that reaches the region’s needy population minimal.

If this is the case, the question of “why the TPLF would continue fighting along the aid-corridor” may seem perplexing, especially to those who are unfamiliar with the party’s true colors. The answer to this is found in the party’s rebellious nature. It transformed the aid corridor into a battleground to obstruct humanitarian supply-line and bring the federal government into disrepute. In the absence of any conflicts with the Federal Government, TPLF knows its future as a dominant political entity is foundering, hence it will keep the fighting at any cost.

However, the people of Tigray have sadly become pawns in this cheap political game. Therefore, the government has consistently urged the international community to condemn the TPLF and work with Ethiopia’s sovereign government to end the region’s suffering.