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| Africa Horn |
| Ethiopia’s PM defiant as rebel Tigray forces make advances |
| 2021-11-02 |
| [Garowe] Æthiopia’s prime minister has called on his supporters to redouble their efforts in the country’s civil war, as rebel forces claimed to have seized key cities that control a major highway toward the capital. A move on the capital, Addis Ababa, would signal a new phase in the war that has killed thousands of people since fighting broke out almost a year ago between Æthiopian government troops and Tigray forces in the country’s northern region. The prime minister’s spokeswoman, Billene Seyoum, did not immediately respond to a question Monday about the government leader’s current whereabouts or travel plans. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in a statement on Sunday said federal troops are fighting on four fronts against the Tigray forces and that "we should know that our enemy’s main strength is our weakness and unpreparedness." The Tigray forces this weekend told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named they were poised to physically link up with another gang, the Oromo Liberation Army, with which it struck an alliance earlier this year. The Tigray forces now claim to control the key cities of Dessie and Kombolcha, though the federal government disputes this claim. The fighting could reach the Oromo region that neighbors the country’s capital. Ethnic Oromo once hailed Abiy as the country’s first Oromo prime minister, but discontent has since emerged with the jailing of outspoken ethnic leaders. Also on Sunday, the government of the Amhara region, where fighting has been focused since Tigray forces retook much of their own region in June, ordered almost all government institutions to stop their regular activities and join the war effort. It also banned most activities in cities and towns after 8 p.m. The Tigray forces say they are pressuring Æthiopia’s government to lift a months-long blockade on their region of around 6 million people. Tigray leaders long dominated the national government before Ahmed took office in 2018. Related: Tigray: 2021-10-31 US State Department calls on Tigrayan rebels to withdraw from the Amhara and Afar regions in northern Ethiopia Tigray: 2021-10-31 Yemen: Fighting for the citadel Tigray: 2021-10-31 Photo gallery of the fighting in Ethiopia Related: Oromo Liberation Army: 2021-05-02 Ethiopia to designate TPLF, OLF-Shene as 'terror' groups Oromo Liberation Army: 2002-06-30 Ethiopian government, rebels both declare victory in fighting Related: Amhara region: 2021-08-09 Amhara official says offensive against Tigray forces imminent Amhara region: 2021-07-26 Ethiopia’s Amhara region calls on all armed residents to mobilize for battle against rebels from conflict-hit Tigray Amhara region: 2021-04-12 Sudan to hand over 60 Ethiopian militiamen, soldiers |
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