The leader of the Oromo militia, which allied itself a few months ago with Tigray rebels in the war against federal government troops, said Monday that its fighters had reached near the capital, promising an end to the conflict. is “very close”, amid intensive diplomatic efforts in recent days.
The Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) announced in August that it was allying with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which has been fighting government forces since November 2020 against government forces in the north of Africa’s second most populous country.
The TPLF and OLA, organizations that Addis Ababa describes as “terrorist”, claimed last week that they had captured several key cities in the state of Amhara and did not rule out moving against the capital.
“What I am sure of is that this will all end very soon,” OLA military leader Jal Maro told AFP, adding: “We are preparing to launch another attack.”
While the TPLF says it has captured cities a few hundred kilometers from Addis Ababa, Jal Maro, whose real name is Kumsa Deraba, assured that some OLA units are even closer, about 40 kilometers from the capital, without losing ” not an inch “of the territories they control.
OLA is based in Oromia, the country’s largest state, which includes Addis Ababa.
Communications are cut off in war zones and access to journalists is limited, making it difficult to verify the claims of the opposing sides.
“No threat”
Prime Minister Abby Ahmed sent the federal army to Tigray on November 4, 2020, to overthrow the TPLF local government after accusing it of attacking government forces’ camps.
The prime minister, who received the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, announced the victory of the federal troops on November 28. But TPLF fighters retook virtually all of Tigray in June before advancing to neighboring Afar and Amhara states.
Jal Maro assured that OLA – accused of many massacres of Amhara civilians, which he denies – does not pose “any threat” to ordinary citizens.
But he sees the fall of Mr Abby and his Prosperity Party as a prerequisite for a process of national reconciliation.
The government denies that Addis Ababa is threatened; however, it declared a state of emergency across the country on November 2. Authorities in the capital have called on residents to take action to defend it.
Several foreign embassies urged their citizens to leave the country immediately. The UN has suspended all missions that are not considered absolutely necessary in Ethiopia.
“Our collective will to take the path we have taken strengthens us,” Abby said via Twitter yesterday, the day after tens of thousands of people gathered in Addis Ababa to show support for the war effort.
A government spokeswoman, Selamawit Kasa, said the army fired airstrikes on Monday, mainly in Arenda Bata, Tigray, and at a “strategically important” location between Amhara and Afar, targeting mainly “training centers”. of TPLF.
Obstacles
The Ethiopian Commission on Human Rights, an independent body whose members are appointed by the government, on Monday expressed concern over the arrests of citizens by Tigray, “in a way that seems to be based on identity and ethnicity”, after a state of emergency was declared. emergency.
Diplomatic activity has doubled in recent days, but so far the warring parties have heeded international calls for a ceasefire.
African Union Horn of Africa Special Envoy Olesegun Obasanjo met with TPLF leader Debrecion Gebremichael on Sunday. On Monday, he spoke to the agency about a possible opportunity, but warned that major obstacles remain.
“We believe that there is a small opening,” Ned Price, a spokesman for US diplomacy in Washington, D.C., said. .
He assured that US diplomacy is in talks with the Ethiopian government but also “with the TPLF”, calling for a ceasefire.
“There are no good ones on one side and no bad ones on the other. “There are only casualties on every side,” said Linda Thomas Greenfield, the US ambassador to the United Nations, during a discussion at the Security Council on the crisis in Ethiopia. “It is urgent to lower your weapons,” she added, addressing the warring parties.
Diplomats familiar with the talks say the TPLF is not even considering negotiating unless humanitarian aid is distributed to Tigray.
The government of Abi Ahmed, for its part, is demanding the withdrawal of the guerrillas from Amhara and Afar, something that “there is no way” to do, the TPLF spokesman told AFP at the weekend.
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