In Ethiopia all signs point to civil war. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said today, referring to fighting in the north of the country, government forces have „clear, limited and achievable goals“. Yesterday the government mobilized the armed forces for a mission in the Tigray region.
There the government is engaged in a conflict with an ethnic group that has ruled the country for decades. The region is ruled by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), once the dominant political force in the country. The Tigray government said it was well prepared for any attack.
Guterres calls for immediate de-escalation
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern about the development. „The stability of Ethiopia is important for the entire region in the Horn of Africa,“ he said on Twitter. „I call for an immediate de-escalation of tensions and a peaceful solution to the dispute.“ Abiy has been Prime Minister of Ethiopia since April 2018.
The TPLF did not join the unity government formed by him. Tensions with the TPLF have been mounting since September, when Tigray voted in what the central government declared illegal. Since then, both sides have accused each other of provoking a military conflict.
Abiy was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 for his efforts to achieve reconciliation with neighboring Eritrea. He also opened up Ethiopia economically and politically, but failed to get the ethnic unrest under control.
