Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed issued a call Tuesday for all eligible civilians to join the armed forces as fighting raged in multiple regions of Africa’s second-most populous nation.
“Now is the right time for all capable Ethiopians who are of age to join the Defense Forces, Special Forces, and militias and show your patriotism,” Abiy’s office said in a statement released less than two months after he declared a unilateral ceasefire against Tigrayan rebels.
Abiy sent troops into Ethiopia’s northernmost Tigray region last November to topple the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the regional ruling party which dominated national politics for nearly three decades until 2018.
The move came in response to TPLF attacks on federal army camps, said Abiy, winner of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize.
Although Abiy promised a swift victory, the war took a stunning turn in June when Tigrayan forces recaptured the regional capital Mekele and the Ethiopian army largely withdrew.
Abiy also declared a unilateral ceasefire, saying it would facilitate aid access to a region where 400,000 people are facing famine-like conditions, according to the UN.
Since then the TPLF has pushed east into neighboring Afar and south into the Amhara region.
Last week its forces seized the Amhara town of Lalibela, home to 12th-century rock-hewn churches that are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
On Tuesday, the government’s patience appeared to have run out, with its statement ordering security forces “to halt the destruction of the treasonous and terrorist TPLF organization and the machinations of foreign hands once and for all”.
*This article was written by AFP. Email: uzalendonews@gmail.com to submit your story.
