New airstrike hits capital of Ethiopia's Tigray region

Residents say a new airstrike has hit the capital of Ethiopia’s Tigray region as a yearlong war returns to Mekele city after months of calm

NAIROBI, Kenya -- A new airstrike has hit the capital of Ethiopia's Tigray region, residents said Wednesday, while the United Nations said it is slashing by more than half its Tigray presence as a government blockade halts humanitarian aid efforts and people die from lack of food.

The war in Africa’s second-most populous country has ground on for nearly a year between Ethiopian and allied forces and the Tigray ones who long dominated the national government before a falling-out with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize winner.

There were no immediate details of deaths or damage from the new airstrike in Mekele, reported by Kindeya Gebrehiwot of the Tigray external affairs office and confirmed by a resident and a humanitarian worker. It came two days after Ethiopia's air force confirmed airstrikes in Mekele that a witness said killed three children. The air force said communications towers and equipment were attacked.

Spokespeople for Ethiopia’s military and government did not immediately respond to questions about the new airstrike. Mekele hadn't seen fighting since June, when Tigray forces retook much of the region in a dramatic turn in the war.