The United States called for Lalibela combatants to respect the cultural heritage in Lalibela, whose famed rock-hewn churches are a United Nations World Heritage Site, after forces from Ethiopia’s Tigray region took control of the town.
Lalibela, also a holy site for millions of Ethiopian Orthodox Christians, is in the North Wollo Zone of the Amhara region in Ethiopia’s north. In recent weeks fighting has spread from Tigray into two neighbouring regions, Amhara and Afar, forcing around 250,000 people to flee.
The government declared victory at the end of that month, after seizing the regional capital Mekelle. But the TPLF kept fighting and at the end of June retook Mekelle and most of Tigray after government soldiers withdrew.
Thousands of people have died in the fighting and around two million people have been displaced.