The Ethiopian government has announced that it has retaken the strategic towns of Dessie and Kombolcha from northern Tigrayan fighters. Just last month, groups aligned with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) had captured these towns and threatened advancement to the capital, Addis Ababa. The Tigrayan War, which began in November 2020, took a sharp turn when this occurred. The capture, along with the threat to the capital, prompted countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, and France to issue statements urging citizens to flee Ethiopia immediately. According to Al Jazeera, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed claimed that TPLF’s gains were overstated and that the capital was secure.

“The historic Dessie city and the trade and industry corridor city, Kombolcha have been freed by the joint gallant security forces,” the government communications service said via Twitter on Monday. The state-run Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation quoted Abiy as stating that the Tigrayan rebels had experienced “heavy losses and (were) unable to cope with the strike by allied forces.” The TPLF has not responded to any requests for comments following their loss of the cities. Some experts argue that the recapture is significant given that the Tigrayans seemed to have taken considerable losses and may retreat. Other experts like William Davison, a senior analyst on Ethiopia at the International Crisis Group, argue that this may not be the case. “Tigrayan commanders and leaders had expressed a lot of confidence about their position. So it wouldn’t be a massive surprise if, despite these setbacks, they were able to recover – and unfortunately that would mean this war dragging on for many months,” Davison noted.

The Tigrayan War and the little response that it is receiving internationally is very concerning given the atrocities that are being committed. According to a multitude of sources both Tigrayan rebels and the Ethiopian government have been committing mass extrajudicial murders. The Ethiopian government is said to be committing the worst of the killings, attempting to wipe out the entire Tigrayan ethnicity. According to the Associated Press, the Tigrayan people have had their electricity and telecommunication severed with no way to document the events taking place around them. Multiple sources have also reported the daily raping of women as a war tactic as well as burning down crop fields, sending hundreds of thousands of people into famine-like conditions. The humanitarian crisis that has emerged in Ethiopia is in dire need of more international involvement. Statements from the U.S. and other European countries to flee Ethiopia are simply not enough and further intervention is needed to put an end to this genocide. The Tigrayan people need immediate emergency supplies and healthcare professionals. The Ethiopian government must also face retribution for their crimes committed.

Many experts agree that it is difficult to see how this war might continue from here. Yet despite what turn the war takes, it will remain an incredibly dangerous time for Ethiopians, especially the Tigrayan people of northern Ethiopia. Without any further intervention from other countries, genocide will continue and hundreds of thousands of more people will die.