Ethiopian fighter jet shot down, 1 pilot captured alive

November 29, 2020 (Thessherald)–The leader of the rebellious forces in Ethiopia’s Tigray region told Reuters in a text message that his forces had shot down an Ethiopian military plane on Sunday and captured the pilot, a day after the government announced its military operation in the region was over.

Debretsion Gebremichael said in an exclusive interview with Reuters that the pilot “was on a mission to bomb”.

According to Reuters, there was no immediate comment from the Ethiopian government or military. The government has previously said it only bombs military targets.

On Sunday, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) announced that the ongoing fighting in the Tigray region is far from over. The defiant group accused Prime Minister Abiy of invading their ancestral birthplace.

Humanitarian situation in Mekelle

As the two sides continue to wage a deadly war at the expense of the civilian population, aid agencies, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, have warned that the situation in that region is extremely bleak, denouncing the overcrowding of hospitals with the wounded.

“The influx of wounded forced the hospital to suspend many other medical services so that limited staff and resources could be devoted to emergency medical care,” the ICRC said in a statement.

Since last week, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has rejected international calls for a peaceful dialogue, arguing that the ongoing violence in the region is an internal issue that should not be resolved at the international level.