Ethiopia.- The TPLF says it “has no idea” of the presence of the Prime Minister of Ethiopia in the war front

The president denies differences with Abiy and advocates reaching an agreement to end the conflict

The United Kingdom recommends that its citizens leave the country and the United States warns of the possibility of attacks

MADRID, 25 (EUROPA PRESS)

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Tigray (TPLF) has been skeptical about the supposed transfer of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to the battle front and has indicated that its forces “have no idea who is in charge of which front”.

“What were you thinking about when you started this poorly written drama of leaving Addis Ababa for your version of the Battle of Adua a la Menelik?” Asked TPLF spokesman Getachew Reda, who referred to the battle in 1896 in which the Ethiopian troops defeated the invading Italian forces, during the mandate of Menelik II.

“Despite his public declaration of leading the forces on the battlefield, our forces have no idea which front is in charge,” he said in his account on the social network Twitter, after the Government indicated that Abiy had handed over his powers to the Deputy Prime Minister, Demeke Mekonnen, in the face of his displacement.

Getachew has also criticized Abiy’s appeals to “Africans” for their support in the war and stressed that “Abiy Ahmed has launched an ‘African’ war against his own people who are inconveniently African.”

Ethiopian government spokesman Legesse Tulu said on Wednesday that Abiy moved to the front line on Tuesday, as he promised he would do on Monday, given the advances of the TPLF in the Amhara region and the expansion of the conflict unleashed ago. more than a year in the Tigray region (north).

He also stressed that the prime minister’s decision “has inspired many” and added that “many follow him”, after in the previous hours the Olympic medalists Haile Gebrselassie and Feyisa Lilesa announced that they plan to join the Army to do versus the TPLF.

Abiy, who was awarded the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for the peace agreement with Eritrea, said late Monday that he would join the Army to defend the country “from internal and external enemies,” while doing an appeal to Ethiopians to join the Armed Forces to confront the group’s advances.

For its part, the Ethiopian Government has denounced in recent hours that “the terrorist group TPLF has been dressing its own special forces and militias in national uniforms to pose as a captor and has dressed young people kidnapped after attacks in Amhara and Afar and his own fighters in uniforms produced in a textile factory. “

“Videos have been sent to the international media after editing to pass them off as captured crowds. The purpose of the video, which has been widely circulated in the media, is to confuse the public with false information as part of the psychological warfare launched by the group.” has indicated the Communication Service of the Ethiopian Government through Twitter.

THE PRESIDENT DENIES DIFFERENCES WITH ABIY

In another vein, the President of Ethiopia, Sahlework Zewde, has come across information published by the newspaper ‘Jeune Afrique’ about her differences with Abiy regarding the conflict, according to which the president “does not approve or support the warmongering policy of Abiy Ahmed “.

The president said in a statement that “she never met with the author” and added that “she does not consider that the appearance of the article at this time is a coincidence.” “I am aware that there is an attempt to generate differences in the Ethiopian leadership,” he argued.

“As someone who has dedicated himself to helping countries facing political difficulties and internal conflicts, I am well aware of the current situation in our country. With many, I am devastated. Fighting a civil war is particularly tragic,” he said.

“It should also be known that, when seeking agreements, one does not work for all. It is up to Ethiopians to find a way to resolve the conflict in our country,” he said in his statement, published through his account on Twitter

In this sense, Sahlework has stressed that “Ethiopia needs the contribution of all its children to overcome the current crisis” and that “Abiy has issued guidelines as leader of the Government.” “We are all putting our knowledge and skills to follow the established path,” he added.

“Seeking a peaceful agreement is key to resolving conflicts. On the contrary, resorting to military means, although it is undesirable, can also be imposed on us, as has been the case,” the president stressed.

In this way, he explained that “without going into details, it should be remembered that the Government has established conditions before the negotiations” and has stated that “this is in the context of the search for peace and is not something new.”

“It has been said that I do not speak out enough about the problems,” he said, before recalling that he recently told Parliament that “if our hands bleed from the spikes, it means that the rose is close.”

“Now we are bleeding. Let’s make sure that the rose really is not far away. We are making progress. Let’s stay firm and stay together,” Sahlework has riveted in his statement.

THE UNITED KINGDOM RECOMMENDS GOING TO ITS CITIZENS

In this context, the United Kingdom Government has recommended that its citizens leave the African country due to the “rapid deterioration” of the situation. “British citizens should go now,” said British Secretary of State for Africa Vicky Ford.

“In the coming days, we could see how the fighting approaches Addis Ababa, which could seriously limit the options of British citizens to leave Ethiopia,” he said in a video posted on his Twitter account.

“I call on British citizens, whatever the circumstance, to leave now that commercial flights are available as the Addis Ababa International Airport remains open,” Ford stressed.

He also revealed that the Government has approved “interest-free loans to support British citizens who may have problems affording flights back to the United Kingdom” and added that “it could soon be more difficult to leave the country and the consular support that may to be given will be limited. “

“British citizens who choose not to leave now should prepare to take shelter in a safe place for the next few weeks. We cannot guarantee that there will be options to leave Ethiopia in the future,” he reiterated.

For its part, the US State Department has reminded US citizens in the country “of the possibility of terrorist attacks in Ethiopia” and has pointed out that “terrorists could attack little or no warning” and have diplomatic facilities among their objectives, tourist destinations, transportation points, shopping centers, western businesses, restaurants, resorts, and government facilities.

“US citizens are strongly encouraged to maintain a high level of vigilance and avoid areas frequented by foreigners,” he said, before stressing that “the State Department has no higher priority than the safety of US citizens abroad. “.