Rebels say Ethiopia capital could fall within weeks as US plans to send envoy (Yahoo)
Posted: 03 Nov 2021, 19:41
Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa could fall within "months if not weeks", an Oromo group allied with Tigrayan rebels told AFP Wednesday, as Washington announced it would send a US envoy to the country to hold talks.
The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which has been fighting Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government for a year, has claimed significant territorial gains in recent days, along with its ally the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA).
As fighting has dragged on, reports of massacres, mass rapes and a starvation crisis have emerged, with the UN rights chief on Wednesday denouncing extreme brutality after a joint UN-Ethiopian report warned of possible "crimes against humanity" by all sides.
In Washington, the US State Department said it was sending Jeffrey Feltman, special envoy for the Horn of Africa, to the country this week.
He will hold talks on Thursday and Friday to urge "all Ethiopians to commit to peace and resolution of grievances through dialogue," it said.
Earlier Wednesday, OLA spokesman Odaa Tarbii said his group intended to topple Abiy's government, calling his removal "a foregone conclusion."
"If things continue in the current trajectory, then we are talking about a matter of months if not weeks," he said.
TPLF spokesman Getachew Reda announced late Wednesday that the rebels were working alongside OLA to capture territory in Kemissie in the Amhara region, some 325 kilometres (200 miles) from Addis Ababa.
"Joint operations will continue in the days and weeks ahead," Getachew said on Twitter.
Continue reading https://news.yahoo.com/ethiopia-capital ... 57546.html
The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which has been fighting Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government for a year, has claimed significant territorial gains in recent days, along with its ally the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA).
As fighting has dragged on, reports of massacres, mass rapes and a starvation crisis have emerged, with the UN rights chief on Wednesday denouncing extreme brutality after a joint UN-Ethiopian report warned of possible "crimes against humanity" by all sides.
In Washington, the US State Department said it was sending Jeffrey Feltman, special envoy for the Horn of Africa, to the country this week.
He will hold talks on Thursday and Friday to urge "all Ethiopians to commit to peace and resolution of grievances through dialogue," it said.
Earlier Wednesday, OLA spokesman Odaa Tarbii said his group intended to topple Abiy's government, calling his removal "a foregone conclusion."
"If things continue in the current trajectory, then we are talking about a matter of months if not weeks," he said.
TPLF spokesman Getachew Reda announced late Wednesday that the rebels were working alongside OLA to capture territory in Kemissie in the Amhara region, some 325 kilometres (200 miles) from Addis Ababa.
"Joint operations will continue in the days and weeks ahead," Getachew said on Twitter.
Continue reading https://news.yahoo.com/ethiopia-capital ... 57546.html