Ethiopia: Abiy Ahmed's army wants to 'eliminate' Tigray forces

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Fighters in Tigray province

Photo: EDUARDO SOTERAS / AFP

According to a high-ranking officer, the Ethiopian military is planning to invade Tigray's regional capital, Mekele.

The army should "eliminate" the rebels who had entrenched themselves there.

Recently it seemed as if the government was looking for a diplomatic solution to the war that had been smoldering for more than a year.

The military and its allies are fighting Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) troops loyal to the political party that controls Tigray.

Two senior US diplomats flew to Addis Ababa this week to urge a ceasefire.

Their efforts were based on early signs of rapprochement in relations between the warring factions, which included the release of political prisoners.

"It's not over yet"

In an interview with state-affiliated media outlet Fana that aired in the evening, Ethiopian Defense Forces (EDF) Deputy Army Chief General Abebaw Tadesse said the country would not find peace until the TPLF was eliminated, according to Reuters news agency.

“Tigray is part of Ethiopia and no force will prevent us from invading.

We will enter and eliminate the enemy.

There shouldn't be any confusion about that,' he said.

“The people of Ethiopia shouldn't think it's over, it's not over yet.

The main thing here is that we stopped because we have to prepare.

This enemy is still there and it absolutely needs to be eliminated.

We won't negotiate that with them."

It is unclear whether the general's statements reflect the government's opinion.

Ethiopian government spokeswoman Legesse Tulu and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's spokeswoman Billene Seyoum did not respond to inquiries.

TPLF spokesman Getachew Reda was also unavailable for comment.

The TPLF has accused Abiy, a once-Nobel Peace Prize winner, of wanting to end the country's ethnically based federal system of government.

Abiy says the TPLF is striving to seize the national power it once held.

The two sides have been at a stalemate for months, punctuated by sporadic fighting.

TPLF forces control most of Tigray but are surrounded by enemy forces from neighboring regions of Afar and Amhara, allied with the federal military.

The conflict broke out in November 2020, displacing millions of people and triggering widespread hunger.

In recent months, there have been several diplomatic and political efforts to end the hostilities, including pressure from the United States, which has urged rapprochement between the two sides.

muk/Reuters