This archive report was first published on 29 October 2021.
Published on October 29, 2021, the Ethiopian Air Force's latest airstrikes on Mekelle, the capital of the Tigray region, have left a trail of destruction and loss of life.
At least six people, including children, were killed in the bombardment on Thursday, with residents and hospital sources reporting over 27 others injured in the air raid.
The airstrikes targeted Mesfin Industrial Engineering, a site located in the centre of the regional capital, which has been bombed twice since the military launched airstrikes last week.
The federal government claims the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) has turned the industrial facility into a weapons manufacturing and repair plant.
However, the TPLF has accused the government of targeting civilians, a claim that has been repeatedly rejected by Addis Ababa.
The government maintains that it only bombed military targets, including arms construction and repair sites and weapons caches in Mekelle.
Since the Ethiopian military launched the aerial strikes on October 18, at least nine people have died and over 50 have been injured.
The conflict between the federal government and TPLF first erupted in November last year, but has intensified since October 11, when the Ethiopian army launched what it said was a 'final and decisive offensive' against the TPLF.
