Rebels from the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) killed more than 100 youths in an unprovoked attack on civilians in Kombolcha, one of two towns the rebel group captured over the weekend, the Ethiopia Government Communication department said. “The terrorist group TPLF has summarily executed more than 100 youth residents of Kombolcha in areas it has infiltrated,” Government spokesperson Legesse Tulu said. The rebels are also looting and destroying private and public property in the cities of Dessie and Kombolcha, he said.

In the nearby Dessie, one of the other towns the rebel group captured, residents said that TPLF forces were conducting widespread house-to-house searches for weapons and government soldiers. Residents said that Dessie was now quiet but fighting was reported outside the city. Businesses were closed, and light and power and water supplies cut off, residents said.