Intambara muri Tigray – Ethiopia: Amafoto y'icyogajuru yerekana abasirikare bakusanywa hafi y'umupaka na Eritrea

Catherine Byaruhanga & Natalie Higgins

BBC News, Nairobi

Amafoto y'icyogajuru yatanze ishusho y'imbonekarimwe ku kuntu imirwano yongeye kubura mu karere ka Tigray ko mu majyaruguru ya Ethiopia, imwe mu ntambara zihishe cyane ku isi, aho itumanaho ryahagaritswe ndetse n'abanyamakuru bakimwa uruhushya rwo kuhasura.

Amafoto yafashwe muri uku kwezi yerekana gukusanywa kw'abasirikare ba Ethiopia n'ibikoresho bya gisirikare ku mupaka wa Ethiopia na Eritrea, iki gihugu kikaba gishyigikiye Minisitiri w'intebe wa Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed mu ntambara arwana n'umutwe wa Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), ugenzura ako karere.

Eritrea iherutse gukusanya inkeragutabara (abahoze mu gisirikare) zayo ngo zitabire icyatangajwe ko ari igitero cyo muri Tigray.

Imirwano yongeye kubura mu kwezi kwa munani uyu mwaka, nyuma yuko agahenge kari kamaze amezi atanu ko kugira ngo imfashanyo ishobore gutangwa, kavuyeho.

Ishami ry'umuryango w'abibumbye ryita ku biribwa (PAM/WFP) rigereranya ko abantu miliyoni 13 bacyeneye imfashanyo mu majyaruguru ya Ethiopia kubera intambara.

Aya mafoto ya mbere yafashwe ku itariki ya 26 y'ukwezi kwa cyenda agaragaza umujyi wa Shiraro wo mu majyaruguru ashyira uburengerazuba, wari umaze igihe uri mu maboko y'abasirikare ba Tigray.

Ifoto yo hejuru yerekana umuhanda munini uva muri uwo mujyi werekeza mu burasirazuba.

Ibifaru byashinze ibirindiro ku muhanda munini hasi ibumoso. Iburyo hari ibitaro bya Maiani, byatangiye gukora mu mwaka wa 2014 bifite n'ibyumba abarwayi bashobora kuvurirwamo babazwe, ishami ryita ku buvuzi bw'abagore, ibikoresho byo kunyuza abarwayi mu cyuma (X-ray) hamwe n'ibitanda 35.

Abasa nkaho ari abantu bagera hafi ku 150, bashobora kuba ari abarwanyi, bari ku murongo uva ku muryango (w'ibitaro) ukagera ku muhanda munini.

Mu mwaka ushize, amakuru yumvikanishije ko ibyo bitaro byangijwe bikomeye.

Umuryango w'abaganga batagira umupaka, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), mu kwezi kwa gatatu mu 2021 wavuze ko amatsinda y'abakozi bawo yasanze amavuriro yo muri ako karere - harimo n'ibitaro bya Maiani - "yarasahuwe, arangizwa aranasenywa mu gitero kigambiriwe kandi cyakorewe ahantu henshi".

Mu bigo nderabuzima (amavuriro) 106 ayo matsinda yasuye, 13% gusa byabyo ni byo byakoraga mu buryo busanzwe.

MSF yagize iti: "Mu gihe gusahura kumwe na kumwe gushobora kuba kwarakozwe n'abafatiranye uko ibintu bimeze, amavuriro muri twinshi mu duce aboneka ko yangijwe mu buryo bugambiriwe hagamijwe ko atongera gukora".

BBC yavuganye n'umukozi utanga imfashanyo wo ku rwego rwo hejuru uri mu mujyi wa Shire, uyu mujyi uri mu ntera ya kilometero 95 mu burasirazuba bw'umujyi wa Shiraro.

Uyu mugabo avuga ko abantu bagera hafi ku 210,000 bahunze umujyi wa Shiraro ndetse n'uduce tuwukikije berekeza mu mujyi wa Shire, kuva ku itariki ya mbere y'uku kwezi kwa cyenda.

Yabwiye BBC ati: "Mu gihe cy'icyumweru kimwe mbere yuko abantu bava mu mujyi, hari hari ukurasa ibisasu, byamaraga amasaha 24, ubutaruhuka".

Ku bw'umutekano we, twahishe umwirondoro w'uyu mukozi utanga imfashanyo.

Yabwiye BBC ko abarimo guhunga hamwe n'abakozi be bakoreye mu mujyi wa Shiraro bavuga ko ibitaro bya Maiani ubu biri mu maboko y'abasirikare ba Eritrea n'abasirikare ba Ethiopia.

Ku itariki ya 13 y'ukwezi kwa cyenda, mbere yuko aya mafoto mashya y'icyogajuru afatwa, umukuru w'abasirikare ba Tigray, Jenerali Tedesse Werede, yabwiye ibitangazamakuru byaho ko "abasirikare ba Eritrea n'abasirikare ba Ethiopia bari muri Shiraro bafashe uduce two kuva i Shiraro kugeza i Ademeiti".

Ntibiramenyekana ugenzura umujyi wa Shiraro muri iki gihe - wa mukozi utanga imfashanyo uri mu mujyi wa Shire yabwiye BBC ko amakuru ahinduka umunsi ku munsi.

Mu ntera itageze kuri kilometero imwe mu majyepfo y'ibitaro, hari ibyo Maxar, kompanyi yatangaje aya mafoto, ivuga ko ari "imbunda za rutura zimukanwa ziri mu birindiro ziteguye kurasa".

Icyo izo mbunda za rutura zitumberejweho ntikizwi.

Nta cyo leta ya Eritrea cyangwa leta ya Ethiopia yari yavuga ku kuba abasirikare bayo bari mu mujyi wa Shiraro.

Ariko mu cyumweru gishize, intumwa yihariye y'Amerika mu karere k'ihembe ry'Afurika yabwiye abanyamakuru ko Amerika ihangayikishijwe n'abasirikare ba Eritrea barimo kwambukira muri Ethiopia kandi ko ibyo "bigomba guhagarara".

Mike Hammer yagize ati: "Tumaze igihe tugenzura ingendo z'abasirikare ba Eritrea bambuka umupaka. Kuba abasirikare ba Eritrea bari muri Ethiopia nta kindi bikora kitari ugutuma ibintu birushaho kugorana, no kwenyegeza umuriro mu bintu bisanzwe n'ubundi bibabaje cyane".

Mu ntera ya kilometero esheshatu ku rundi ruhande rw'umujyi wa Shiraro, kompanyi Maxar yafashe amafoto y'umurongo muremure w'imodoka zigera hafi kuri 45. Ziboneka nk'izirimo imodoka zimwe za bisi (bus) kandi zikaboneka nk'izirimo kwerekeza muri uwo mujyi.

Muri kilometero eshanu ukomeje kumanuka mu muhanda, hari irindi tsinda rito ry'imodoka na bisi za gisirikare zose hamwe zigera hafi kuri 20, na zo zitegeye mu cyerekezo cy'umujyi wa Shiraro.

Uyu ni umuhanda uzwi nka Adi Goshu uva i Shiraro ukanyura hejuru y'umugezi wa Tekeze, ukagera mu mujyi wa Humera, wa mbere munini wo mu burengerazuba bwa Tigray - nuko, nyuma, ukagera muri Eritrea, mu ntera ya kilometero hafi 180 uvuye aho, urugendo rufata amasaha hafi atatu mu modoka.

Kuva intambara yatangira mu kwezi kwa cumi na kumwe mu 2020, uburengerazuba bwa Tigray bugenzurwa n'abasirikare ba Eritrea n'abasirikare ba Ethiopia hamwe n'abasirikare bihariye ba Amhara ndetse n'umutwe wa Fano wo muri Amhara.

Akarere ka Amhara kavuga ko uburengerazuba bwa Tigray ari ubutaka bw'aka karere.

Hano, mu birindiro byitaruye umuhanda hafi y'umujyi wa Shiraro, ifoto y'icyogajuru igaragaza bisi n'izindi modoka zo mu bwoko bumwe n'izabonywe mbere ku muhanda wa Adi Goshu, ziparitse iruhande no hagati y'inyubako zimwe.

Mu gitondo cyo ku munsi wakurikiyeho, amafoto y'icyogajuru y'ibyo birindiro ntabwo agaragaza izo modoka - byumvikanisha ko zari zimuriwe ahandi hantu.

Ibi bihuye n'amakuru y'abantu bahunze Shire, avuga ko ibirindiro byo muri uwo mujyi birimo guhinduka hagati y'abasirikare bahanganye.

Inyandiko y'imbere mu bakozi b'ishami rya ONU rihuza ibikorwa by'ubutabazi (OCHA) BBC yabonye, irimo ko abantu batari munsi ya 10 bishwe n'imirwano mu mujyi wa Shiraro no mu nkengero zawo kugeza ku itariki ya 14 y'ukwezi kwa cyenda.

Cyo kimwe na wa mukozi utanga imfashanyo wo ku rwego rwo hejuru, iyo nyandiko ivuga ko abantu 210,000 bahunze ako gace, barimo abantu 45,000 bahungiye mu bindi bice byaho, mbere bari barigeze guhunga uburengerazuba bwa Tigray.

Maxar yanatangaje amafoto yafashe ku itariki ya 19 y'ukwezi kwa cyenda yo mu nkengero y'umujyi wa Serha, wo muri Eritrea, uri mu ntera ya kilometero imwe uvuye ku mupaka wa Ethiopia, hafi y'umujyi wa Zalambessa wo muri Ethiopia.

Ku munsi wakurikiye ifatwa ry'aya mafoto, abategetsi bo muri Tigray basohoye itangazo bavuga ko Perezida wa Eritrea Isaias Afwerki "yakusanyije igisirikare cyose cya Eritrea, n'inkeragutabara n'imitwe [yitwaje intwaro], bagaba ibitero binini banyuze muri Zalambessa", nka hamwe mu hantu bagabiye ibyo bitero.

Maxar yavuze ko ibi ari imbunda rutura zo mu bwoko bwa M-46, ziri mu birindiro byo mu majyaruguru y'umujyi wa Serha.

Hepfo gato, iruhande rw'irimbi, Maxar yavuze ko izi ari imbunda rutura zo mu bwoko bwa S21 SP howitzer. Aho zanyuze ku butaka ubwo zajyaga mu birindiro, haraboneka neza ku butaka ibumoso bw'iyi foto.

No hafi cyane y'umupaka wa Ethiopia, Maxar yavuze ko aha ari ho h'ingenzi ibi bifaru byagabwe ku rugamba.

Ibi birindiro biri mu ntera ya kilometero imwe uvuye ku mupaka - uvuye hano, ushobora kugenda n'amaguru ukagera muri Ethiopia mu gihe cy'iminota hafi 15.

Amafoto ya Maxar Technologies Inc na MSF