Advance of the Tigray fighters: “The enemy is buried – not Ethiopia”

In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, there is great concern that the Tigray fighters will invade: the civil war front is getting closer and closer. Prime Minister Abiy and his government are correspondingly nervous.

A newsstand in the capital Addis Ababa. The cover of the latest issue features portraits of two men: Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the leader of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, with a gun between them.

The conflict between the Ethiopian government and the TPLF is escalating. The People’s Liberation Front seems to be on its way towards the capital, the military is on the defensive. But Abiy does not want to admit defeat: “The enemy will be buried in the pit that we have dug – not Ethiopia,” he said at an event on the first anniversary of the start of the war. “We will beat the enemy with all our strength and blood so that Ethiopia can rise again to glory.”

Government troops are demoralized

The TPLF had determined politics throughout Ethiopia for decades and also dominated the military. When Abiy took over the government, he gradually disempowered the old leadership clique. The political disputes came to a head until there was a military confrontation. Abiy was betting on a quick victory for the army. But in the meantime the troops have become demoralized and apparently don’t have much to counter the TPLF. The government declared a state of emergency. One last attempt at mobilization.

“The state of emergency makes it possible for citizens who are old enough and have a weapon to receive military training and join the army,” said Justice Minister Gedion Timotheos. “If you don’t want that, you should give up your weapons.”

Capitals fear the TPLF invasion

In downtown Addis Ababa, at least some seem ready to heed the call. “I’m young and I can go to war,” said a man at a bus stop for the Reuters news agency. “I’ll go straight to the front.” This could come closer and closer in the next few days – many in the capital fear an invasion of the TPLF. “They are already in cities that are not far away,” said one woman. “They have covered many kilometers until then. I think they will move as far as Addis Ababa.”

Talks for a peaceful solution exclude all parties to the conflict. Abiy Ahmed accused the People’s Liberation Front and its allied groups of wanting to turn Ethiopia into a civil war country like Libya or Syria. In return, the spokesman for the TPLF accused the government and the military of wanting to establish a “reign of terror” in view of the impending defeat. The fronts are hardened. Nonetheless, the US special envoy for the Horn of Africa is supposed to be in Ethiopia today and tomorrow to try again to mediate.