Leader of Ethiopia's Tigrayan forces says he is fighting near Mekelle

Leader of Ethiopia's Tigrayan forces says he is fighting near Mekelle

The leader of Ethiopia's rebellious northern forces said on Monday that he was still fighting with government forces over Mekelle, the regional capital.

In a text message to the leader of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (DPLF), Depression Jeffrey Michael, he said that some Eritrean soldiers fighting with Ethiopian federal forces had been taken prisoner by his side.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's spokeswoman Billene Seyoum told Reuters it was not the government's focus to respond to "the illusions of a criminal group."

There was no immediate comment from the Eritrean government, which denied involvement at the start of the conflict for more than three weeks.

Cases from all sides are hard to check since telephone and web connects to Tigray area have been to a great extent down and access firmly controlled since the war started on Nov. 4.