Another airstrike in Tigre, killing at least 17

At least 18 people have been killed in an air strike in the northern African country of Ethiopia for the second time in a week. Most of the victims were women. Dozens more were injured in the attack in the town of Mai Sebri in Tigris, two aid workers told Reuters on Tuesday, citing local authorities and eyewitnesses.

Earlier on Friday, 56 people were killed and 30 injured in an airstrike on a refugee camp in the Ethiopian region. US President Joe Biden expressed concern to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abi Ahmed during a telephone conversation on Monday about civilian casualties in the airstrikes.

Reuters reports that Col. Gatnett Adane, the country's army spokesman, and Tulu, a government spokesman, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Ethiopian government has denied allegations that it targeted civilians during the last 14 months of fighting with Tigris rebels. The Tigris People's Liberation Front (TPLF) rebels have long been battling federal forces and Eritrea-backed regional allies in the government of President Abi Ahmed.

Abi Ahmed took over as Ethiopia's prime minister in 2016, ending the TPLF's 27-year rule over the central government. But the TPLF, the country's armed rebel group, was still in power in the Tigris region.

In November 2020, the TPLF clashed anew with government forces in the region. Both sides have blamed each other for the clashes.

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