The projectile(炮弹；抛射物) shrieked(发出尖厉刺耳的声音) past and exploded. Hayelom Berhane was unharmed, but others were not so lucky. Mr Hayelom (not his real name) says 21 civilians(平民，非军事人员) were killed by the blast in Maychew, a town in the south of Ethiopia’s Tigray region that was shelled(炮击，用炮弹轰炸) by the federal army on September 29th. Forces loyal to Tigray’s rulers, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), withdrew shortly afterwards, part of a retreat in the face of advances by government troops.(效忠提格雷统治者提格雷人民解放阵线的部队不久后撤离，这是面对政府军推进而进行的撤退的一部分。) Looting and banditry(匪盗行为，抢劫活动) have erupted in some areas since then. “There is a real fear among the public that [the army] will not be able to stabilise the situation,” says Mr Hayelom.
炮弹呼啸而过，随即爆炸。哈耶洛姆·伯哈内毫发无伤，但其他人就没那么幸运了。哈耶洛姆先生（化名）说，9月29日联邦军队炮击了埃塞俄比亚提格雷地区南部的迈切夫镇，爆炸造成21名平民死亡。效忠提格雷统治者——提格雷人民解放阵线（TPLF）的部队不久后撤离，这是面对政府军推进而进行的撤退的一部分。此后一些地区爆发了抢劫和匪盗活动。哈耶洛姆先生说：“公众确实担心（军队）无法稳定局势。”
When war broke out in Ethiopia’s northernmost region on September 23rd, the TPLF and a number of allied rebel groups initially went on the offensive(发起攻势，采取进攻). Vowing to topple(推翻，颠覆) the federal government of Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopia’s prime minister, they made incursions(入侵，侵犯) into the neighbouring regions of Amhara and Afar. Yet the tide has since turned against them with remarkable speed. In recent days the Ethiopian army and militias(民兵组织) allied with it have erased the rebels’ gains and advanced rapidly through southern Tigray. On October 4th federal forces took control of Mekelle, the regional capital, ousting the TPLF’s leaders from what had been their seat of government for decades.(10月4日，联邦军队控制了地区首府默克莱，将TPLF领导人赶出了他们数十年的政府所在地。)
9月23日，当战争在埃塞俄比亚最北部的地区爆发时，TPLF和若干盟军叛军组织最初发起攻势。他们誓言推翻埃塞俄比亚总理阿比·艾哈迈德的联邦政府，并入侵了邻近的阿姆哈拉和阿法尔地区。然而此后形势以惊人的速度逆转。近日，埃塞俄比亚军队及其盟军民兵已抹去叛军的战果，并迅速推进穿过提格雷南部。10月4日，联邦军队控制了地区首府默克莱，将TPLF领导人赶出了他们数十年的政府所在地。
Rather than heralding(预示，宣告) a short or contained war, the government’s swift advances may have set the stage for(为……创造条件，为……铺路) a far more dangerous confrontation(对抗，冲突). Ethiopia claims that Eritrea, its neighbour to the north, backs(支持， backing) the rebels, and that Eritrean soldiers took part in the recent fighting in Afar. Since then Eritrean troops have advanced into Tigray at least as far south as Adigrat and Idaga Hamus (see map). On October 7th Ethiopia demanded that they “leave Ethiopian territory without delay” and reportedly carried out drone strikes(无人机打击) on Eritrean troops near Idaga Hamus. The two countries now look to be closer to a direct conflict than at any time since 1998-2000, when they fought a war which killed tens of thousands.(如今，两国比1998-2000年那场导致数万人死亡的战争以来的任何时候都更接近直接冲突。)
政府的迅速推进非但没有预示一场短暂或有限的战争，反而可能为一场危险得多的对抗埋下伏笔。埃塞俄比亚声称，其北部邻国厄立特里亚支持叛军，且厄立特里亚士兵参与了最近在阿法尔的战斗。此后，厄立特里亚军队已推进至提格雷，至少到达南部的阿迪格拉特和伊达加哈穆斯（见图）。10月7日，埃塞俄比亚要求他们“立即离开埃塞俄比亚领土”，据报还对伊达加哈穆斯附近的厄立特里亚军队实施了无人机打击。如今，两国比1998-2000年那场导致数万人死亡的战争以来的任何时候都更接近直接冲突。
An expanding battlefield
不断扩大的战场