Ethiopia firmly in control of Lalibela: deputy PM Mekonen visits

The Ethiopian military has never lost control of Lalibela, the town famous for its rock churches.

Deputy prime minister Demeke Mekonnen Hassan who visited Sunday appeared to rubbish reports that the town was being controlled by the Tigrayan rebels.

Multiple reports and pictures showed Demeke in various parts of the town. Some of the photos bore captions, such as: “CNN,BBC,and others are You hear, this is Lalibela.#NomoreFake News”.

Another caption invites doubting Thomases to the town for celebrations.

“Come and Celebrate Ethiopian Gena/Lidet/Christmas at Lalibela”, wrote an account with the name Wub Engineering..

Reports last week indicated the Tigrayan rebels had captured the town,
which has spiritual significance for millions of Ethiopian Orthodox Christians.

Control of the town has changed hands several times during the conflict with rebellious forces from northern Tigray province.

Tigray troops captured it in August but government forces pushed them back at the beginning of December in an ongoing offensive that has forced the Tigrayans to withdraw hundreds of kilometres.

Last Sunday, residents reported that the Tigrayans had retaken the town after the military and its allies withdrew.

The year-long conflict between Tigray’s leaders and the central government has killed thousands of civilians, drawn in forces from around Ethiopia and spilled into the neighbouring Amhara and Afar regions after Tigrayan forces invaded them.

It has also forced 400,000 people into famine in Tigray, with more than 9.4 million people across northern Ethiopia now dependent on food aid, according to the United Nations.