An air strike hit near a hospital in the capital of Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region late on Tuesday, according to Kibrom Gebreselassie, head of Ayder General Hospital which received casualties, less than a week after fighting shattered a 4 month old ceasefire.
Gebreselassie said on Twitter that an area near Mekelle General Hospital had been hit by aerial bombing leading to casualities.
The extent of the damage and casualties was unclear.
Getachew Reda, spokesman for the Tigray regional government, said on Twitter that at least three bombs had been dropped and that the Mekelle Hospital was among the targets.
Another doctor at Ayder confirmed to Reuters he had heard three explosions late at night.
The press was unable to reach people in Mekelle for confirmation because the region has not had phone communication since Ethiopian troops pulled out more than a year ago.
The latest strike follows a hit on a children’s play area on Friday that killed seven people, including women and children.
Another Ethiopian air strike hit the Tigrian capital on Friday last week killing four people, including two children.
The rebel spokespeople and humanitarian sources said, the attack came as government vowed to “take action” against military targets in the war-torn region.
Renewed fighting:
A truce in March paused the worst of the bloodshed and allowed aid convoys to return slowly to Tigray, where the UN says millions are severely hungry, and fuel and medicine are in short supply.
But on Wednesday last week, the warring sides announced a return to the battlefield, with both accusing the other of firing first as fresh offensives erupted along Tigray’s southern border.
Details remain unclear, but it appears the fighting has not spread outside an area bordering Tigray, Amhara and Afar.
The return to combat has alarmed the international community, which has been pushing both sides to peacefully resolve the conflict threatening peace in one of Africa’s economic powerhouses.