Ethiopian army in opposition Tigray region Photograph:( Reuters )
There are growing fears that Ethiopia will soon witness a civil war between the government forces and Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the ruling party of the Tigray region
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed replaced his army chief on Sunday and elevated deputy army chief to his position. The move came as the country fought its own Tigray region. The five-day conflict has seen number of wounded soldiers continuously increase. Abiy's office did not specify any reason for the latest move and only said that Deputy Army Chief Berhanu Jula will take over as army chief from his predecessor General Adem Mohammed. No announcement has been as of now as to in what capacity General Mohammed will serve the army.
The announcement came as a medical official told AFP that nearly 100 government soldiers had been treated for gunshot wounds at a hospital in the northern Amhara region, the latest indication that fighting has been intense.
Abiy and military leaders have touted Ethiopian soldiers' successes against forces loyal to the Tigray ruling party, but a communications blackout in the region has made their accounts difficult to verify.
On roads in the northern part of Ethiopia's Amhara region, ambulances can frequently be seen ferrying wounded combatants to hospitals.
In the town of Sanja, 98 government soldiers have been treated for "gunfire" injuries, a doctor told AFP.
"We have had 98 cases. All of them are soldiers from the national army," said the doctor, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
He said there were no fatalities at the hospital, but noted more serious cases have been transported to larger hospitals in the city of Gondar and elsewhere.
Reports of dead and wounded soldiers have mounted in recent days in Amhara, where a humanitarian aid worker said three died and 35 were treated on Saturday. On Friday 105 were reported injured and five killed in the region.
There are growing fears that Ethiopia will soon witness a civil war between the government forces and Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the ruling party of the Tigray region.
Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed, the winner of last year's Nobel peace prize, sent federal troops and aircraft into Tigray in a major escalation of a long-running feud.
Sunday's reshuffle also saw new appointments for deputy army chief, foreign minister and federal police commissioner, while the president of Amhara was transferred to head Ethiopia's intelligence service.
No reason was given for those changes either.
(With AFP inputs)