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2021-11-07 Africa Horn
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New Alliance of Resistance to Government Forms in Ethiopia
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[Telegram] Nine groups opposed to the Ethiopian government announced the creation of a united alliance aimed at changing the government in the country. The agreement between the oppositionists was signed on Friday in Washington. Meanwhile, the US Embassy is now urging all of its citizens to leave the country.
The armed conflict between the central government of Ethiopia and the authorities of the autonomous region of Tigray, who are accused of separatism, has continued since November 2020. Both Abiy Ahmed's Ethiopian government in Addis Ababa and Tigray authorities from the National Liberation Front (NPLF) question each other's legitimacy.
On Friday, nine opposition groups, some of which are armed, have announced they will join forces against the Ethiopian government to form the United Front of Ethiopian Federalist and Confederalist Forces (UFEFCF). These include the Oromo Liberation Army, in addition to the NFOT. Some of the groups have armed fighters.
"The front is being created to reverse the devastating effects of Abiy's rule [...] and in recognition of the great need to work together and join forces to ensure a safe transition in the country," Reuters quoted the new front as saying.
One of the organizers of the alliance told The Associated Press thato The United Front will "establish a transitional government" and then "begin to meet and communicate with countries, diplomats and international actors in Ethiopia and abroad." At the same time, the alliance is both political and military, but it had no contacts with the government of Abiy Ahmed.
The agreement between the oppositionists was signed on Friday in Washington.
"Of course, we prefer there to be a peaceful and orderly transition with Abiy removed," a spokesman for the Oromo Liberation Army told AP.
"The goal is to be as inclusive as possible. We know that this transition requires the participation of all stakeholders," he added.
An Ethiopian government spokeswoman said on Twitter that opposition groups had the opportunity to resolve their differences in elections earlier this year, and all those groups that rejected this option "cannot be in favor of democratization."
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called on Twitter for an end to the war in Ethiopia and an immediate start of peace talks without any preconditions. US Special Envoy Jeffrey Feltman was in Addis Ababa on Thursday, where he met with Defense Secretary, Treasury Secretary, Deputy Prime Minister, and African Union Commission Chairman Moussa Faki.
But it is not known if the meeting of the American envoy will take place with the Prime Minister of Ethiopia himself, Abiy, the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
The UN Security Council convened a meeting on Ethiopia on Friday at the request of the diplomatic representatives of Ireland, Kenya, Niger, Tunisia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Alisa Vairimu Nderitu, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary General on Genocide Prevention, warned of the escalation of the conflict and the spread of violence to Kenya.
The European Union also called for a ceasefire, but added that this was not enough and did not rule out the imposition of sanctions.
"It would be much more spectacular if the European countries got together and talked about the consequences."
On Thursday, the Ethiopian government compared Tigray's secessionist forces to a "rat sticking out of a hole" on social media and said Ethiopia is close to "bury the forces of evil." The state of emergency has been in effect in the country since Tuesday.
A spokesman for the Tigray Liberation Front, however, also said on Thursday that his forces were already in the city of Kemis, 325 kilometers from Addis Ababa. Representatives of the central government question the territorial gains of the separatists.
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Posted by badanov 2021-11-07 00:00||
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