- Published
Running a hair salon in Mekelle, capital of Ethiopia's troubled northern Tigray region, is not easy at the moment.
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Running → publish → moment
"People can't prioritise beauty over daily basic needs.
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People → prioritise → needs
For many residents, thinking about self-care is a luxury, at a time when they can't feed their kids," Firut Me'ar, who runs a salon in the city, tells the BBC.
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who → think → BBC
After a brief war, the city is under the control of the national army but life is far from normal, says Firut, a single mother of a 10-year-old daughter.
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Firut → say → daughter
"Things are better than during the war, but people still have no money, no morale.
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people → have → money
Business is almost non-existent," she says, her voice shaking with emotion.
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voice → say → emotion
Above all, she says people are worried about what the future holds.
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future → say → what
"There is uncertainty about what comes next."
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what → be → ?
Fighting broke out in late September between the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the party that had run Tigray for decades, and the national army - a resumption of the two-year civil war that officially ended in 2022.
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that → break → 2022
But within less than two weeks, federal forces marched triumphantly into Mekelle.
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forces → march → Mekelle
The TPLF made what it called a "strategic withdrawal" from the city and Tigray's other main towns so the army encountered little resistance.
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army → make → resistance
Hundreds of people are reported to have died in the conflict, including dozens killed by drone strikes and bombing raids by the air force.
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Hundreds → report → force
Ethiopian government officials and supporters argue that the war is effectively over and that the only remaining task is to clear Tigray of TPLF elements.
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task → argue → elements
Getachew Reda, a senior TPLF official who switched sides and is now an adviser to the prime minister, declared that the war in Tigray had ended and that stabilising the region should now be the immediate priority.
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stabilising → switch → region
Cameroon Hudson, an analyst and consultant on African peace and security, says there are various reasons for the TPLF's rapid defeat.
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Hudson → say → defeat
"The TPLF has lost popular support at home.
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TPLF → lose → home
It is fragmented, it does not possess the advanced military technology necessary to match the ENDF [Ethiopian National Defence Forces]," he says.
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he → fragment → ENDF
"It has lost many of its generals, strategic thinkers, finest diplomats and fighters, either through defections or arrests.
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It → lose → defections
The infighting within the TPLF leadership has caused significant damage."
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infighting → cause → damage
Abraha Hailezgi, a scholar at Mekelle University, agrees.
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Hailezgi → agree → University
"The army lacks a clear political vision.
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army → lack → vision
In recent years, it has become associated with coercion, abuses, forced recruitment and arbitrary actions.
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it → associate → coercion
As a result, many people have come to view the TPLF army as an adversary rather than a force acting on their behalf," he says.
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he → come → behalf
Speaking by telephone from an undisclosed location, TPLF spokesperson Mikael Asgedom denies that the group has lost.
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group → speak → location
Instead, he describes it as a deliberate tactical and strategic retreat.
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he → describe → retreat
"This is not a defeat," he tells the BBC.
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he → tell → BBC
He says the TPLF "intentionally allowed the ENDF to advance deeper into the heartland of Tigray", where it can be isolated and confronted on favourable terrain.
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it → say → terrain
"We chose not to fight on terms favourable to the enemy."
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We → choose → enemy
The TPLF is preparing for a major counteroffensive, he says, adding that TPLF fighters have launched attacks against Ethiopian forces in several locations following their withdrawal from the region's towns, arguing that these operations demonstrated the group's continued military capability.
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operations → prepare → capability
It is hard to get verified information from Tigray and the BBC is unable to report from there.
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BBC → get → Tigray
But phone lines and the internet, which were cut when fighting broke out, have now been restored.
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fighting → cut → ?
Residents in different parts of Tigray tell the BBC that fighting is continuing in central, northern and north-western parts of Tigray, with the use of heavy artillery and drone strikes.
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fighting → tell → artillery
Eyewitnesses around Sheraro, a town near the Eritrean border, report heavy fighting involving artillery and ground forces in recent days.
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Eyewitnesses → report → days
"We could hear heavy artillery fire from the Sheraro direction.
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We → hear → direction
People are concerned because there is no sense of security," a businessman tells the BBC on condition of anonymity.
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businessman → be → anonymity
He adds that military convoys from both sides had moved towards Sheraro, while a motorcycle operator in the southern town of Yechila says military checkpoints are still active.
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checkpoints → add → Yechila
Memories of the devastating 2020-2022 Tigray war remain raw for many residents.
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Memories → remain → residents
The conflict saw widespread human rights abuses and allegations of ethnic cleansing in Western Tigray, while estimates suggest the war claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.
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war → see → lives
As soldiers from Eritrea, accused of some of the worst atrocities in the previous conflict, and Ethiopia have reappeared in Tigray's towns, many residents describe a profound sense of fear and anxiety, saying the sight of the troops has reopened still-fresh wounds.
Military sources aligned with the federal army say operations against the TPLF are continuing, with recent fighting and troop movements reported in northern Tigray, near the Eritrean border, as well as across central Tigray's rugged highlands.
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fighting → accuse → highlands
They claim the TPLF's capabilities are being steadily degraded.
uncertain
capabilities → claim → ?
…and 41 more, not listed.
The Aporia
