Death toll from mid-April ethnic clashes in Ethiopia may be 200, official says

Residents and officials in Oromiya Special Zone, an area in Amhara with a majority Oromo population, and the town of Ataye said there were deadly clashes in the area on April 16.

“According to information we got from people who are displaced, we estimate that up to 200 people might have died from both zones, but we still need to verify the number,” Endale Haile, Ethiopia’s chief ombudsman, told Reuters.

reuters: Eritrea admits presence in Ethiopia’s Tigray, tells U.N. withdrawing

“Neither the U.N. nor any of the humanitarian agencies we work with have seen proof of Eritrean withdrawal,” Lowcock told the Security Council on Thursday. “We have, however, heard some reports of Eritrean soldiers now wearing Ethiopian Defense Force uniforms.”

aljazeera: Eritrea confirms its troops are fighting in Ethiopia’s Tigray

For months, both sides denied Eritreans were involved, contradicting testimony from residents, rights groups, aid workers, and diplomats.

The conflict arrived in the middle of the harvest in Tigray and for months humanitarian access was greatly restricted, prompting fears of widespread starvation.