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| Ethiopian media reporting the attack on Aksum airport |
A strategically important airport in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region has become a key battleground between the opposing forces in the current conflict.
Pro-government accounts say the Ethiopian military controls
Aksum airport - but this does not appear to have prevented the Tigray special
forces mounting an attack and disabling the runway in the past few days.
Yet, with communications from the region largely cut, the
situation was unclear.
We've taken a look at some of the footage put out about the
attack, together with satellite images of the airport, and tried to piece
together a timeline of events.
The battle for Aksum airport
Ethiopian forces captured the airport on 11 November,
according to pro-government social-media accounts.
Until that point, it had been in the hands of the Tigray
regional forces (TPLF).
But control of the airport and the surrounding region was
clearly not settled on that date.
On Thursday, 19 November, the Tigray leader, Debretsion
Gebremichael, told the Reuters news agency Aksum town was still in their hands
- but it is unclear if that included the airport.
"Aksum is with us - but there is an army sent to
control Aksum - but there is a fight," Mr Debretsion said.
On Friday, 20 November, the government announced it had captured Aksum town but the TPLF had damaged infrastructure in the area.
And on Sunday, 22 November, state media published a video
and images of bricks and rubble on the runway, as well as what appeared to be
trenches dug into the surface, saying the TPLF had attacked "ploughed and
destroyed the airport, which has contributed a lot to the economy and the
people of Aksum".
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| The Ethiopian government's "fact-check" account also published a video of the damage |
To determine whether these images are genuine, we've looked at satellite imagery, provided by Planet Labs, from before and after the attack.
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| This satellite image shows the airport on 19 November, before the attack |
On Thursday,
19 November, the runway appeared to be free from rubble or damage.
But the
image captured on Monday, 23 November, shows lines across the airport, which
corroborate the previous day's state-media reports that trenches had been dug
across the runway to prevent planes landing.
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| This satellite imagery from Monday, 23 November, shows the airport after the attack - both bricks and trenches can be seen |
Other
investigations have led to similar findings.
Those transversal scars (trenches) made at almost regular intervals on #Axum Airport runway are made to prevent aircrafts to land. Those can (hardly) be seen from space as brownish thin lines on this @sentinel_hub imagery from yesterday (22.11.20). #Ethiopia #Tigray #IMINT https://t.co/d3m0KoGWxk pic.twitter.com/8RX7fjUzXU
— Observer IL (@Obs_IL) November 23, 2020
The Tigray government is yet to comment on what happened at
the airport.
Mr Debretsion has denied the TPLF destroyed
the airport but confirmed obstacles had been put in place
to stop the Ethiopian army from advancing.
Misleading images amid an information blackout
With the internet and most mobile communications down in the
Tigray region, getting an accurate picture of events is challenging.
Ethiopia's state-controlled media has near-monopoly access
to the territory and social
media has been littered with misleading images.
After it was reported the Ethiopian army had gained control of the airport, pro-government accounts shared images from old stories unrelated to the conflict, purporting to show Ethiopian military personnel at the airport.
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| Old photos of an Ethiopian pilot - unrelated to the current conflict |
Similarly,
after Ethiopian media reported the TPLF had damaged the airport, social-media
users began sharing images of the near-total destruction of a terminal
building.
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| An image from a bombed Libyan airport from 2014 has been wrongly attributed to the attack in northern Ethiopia |
But the image being shared was in fact from an attack at a
Libyan airport in 2014.
Human Rights Watch has called for the Ethiopian government
to restore communications in the region.
Why Aksum airport is important
Ethiopia is a vast country and keeping airports operating
for supplies and personnel is important for the national military.
The Aksum region is also important for historical reasons.
Balsillie School of International Affairs director Prof Ann
Fitz-Gerald said: "It's hugely important because other northern airports
at Bahir Dar and Gondar have also been damaged and airport security is crucial
for mobilising troops and keeping physical lines of communication open."
"If regional security forces were not going to have the
airport itself, its tactic would be to disrupt the access to the airport.
"It would've been a last ditch tactic and possibly as they became threatened."
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