The Ethiopian government on October 31 appealed for citizens to take arms against rebel groups that claimed to have taken control of key towns in the year-long conflict. The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) claimed it had captured the town of Kombolcha on a main road that links landlocked Ethiopia to the port in Djibouti. Additionally, insurgents from the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) also claimed they defeated government forces in Kemise, 325 kilometers (200 miles) from capital Addis Ababa. TPLF spokesperson Getachew Reda said in a post on Twitter that Tigrayan forces were "firmly in control of Kombolcha" and its airport on October 31. Odaa Tarbii, OLA spokesperson said the group had taken nearby Kemise 53 km (33 miles) south of Kombolcha.

Source: The North Africa Journal November 02, 2021 00:09 UTC