Sporadic fighting and attacks have been reported in Mekelle in the early hours of Monday, 21st of July. The attacks reportedly took place in the sub-city of semien, Lachi area.
As of now, it isn’t clear what took place, but residents of Lachi began to flee from the north Mekelle district as gunshots rang loud, as Eritrean and Ethiopian soldiers usually patrol the streets of Mekelle, occasionally lashing out at innocent passers-by.
Soldiers of both the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments are said to have been patrolling the streets of Lachi when they ‘suddenly started firing at nearby civilians’ said a Mekelle inhabitant, who was able to find temporary protection after running to a nearby building.
Reports are coming out pointing that Eritrean troops had tried to take SUR construction properties from the company foundry. While such attempts have become very common in many parts of Tigray, on Monday, dozens of youngsters flooded the streets to prevent Eritrean troops from pillaging the company of its assets.
Lachi, a district in the north of the capital, is well known for industrial installments including SUR Construction – one of the biggest construction companies in Ethiopia. Since the conflict broke out in early November, many factories and industrial units have been systemically targeted as part of a large scheme to devastate Tigray’s economy.
With mounting military presence in and around Mekelle, several industrial establishments in the city are targeted for their heavy pieces of machinery and equipment, as has been the case throughout Tigray.
Our sources in the Mekelle have told us that there are causalities and more than a dozen people have been injured by the attack.
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