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Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has gone to the forefront of military action, state-affiliated journalists say.
Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen Hassen will oversee full-time business in Abiy’s absence, Fana said on Wednesday.
State spokesman Legesse Tulu described in detail the transfer of some full-time jobs at a press conference, Fana reported.
Abiy announced late Monday that he wants to lead the fight against Tigrayan forces and their allies.
“Let’s meet at the battlefield,” he wrote: “The time has come for us to take the lead.
Last month Tigrayan troops and allies threatened to march on Addis Ababa; They have been fighting fiercely to cut off the route linking Ethiopia with the main port of Djibouti.
On Tuesday, U.S. special envoy Jeffrey Feltman said Ethiopian troops and Ethiopian troops were able to block Tigrayan’s attempts to cross the road but Tigrayan troops were able to make their way south to Addis.
An Ethiopian military spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.
Thousands of people are said to have been killed and thousands more starved since November last year when the Prime Minister ordered the military to destroy the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which had ruled the central government for decades before Abiy. started operations in 2018.
Tigrayan troops continue heading for Addis Ababa, taking control of Shewa Robit town, located 220km (136 miles) northeast of the capital.
Many areas in northern Ethiopia are being shut down and access to the media is restricted, making military statements difficult to verify.
Recruitment
Abiy’s comments have encouraged the recruitment of soldiers who are struggling.
A few well-known runners – marathoner and Olympic silver medalist Feyisa Lelisa – have joined thousands of Ethiopian ordinary people who want to follow Abiy’s lead.
World powers have announced a military coup that will hamper efforts to end war, with terrorists claiming they are heading for the capital, Addis Ababa, and foreign governments are urging their citizens to leave.
On Wednesday hundreds of new troops took part in a rally in Kolfe state in Addis Ababa.
As government officials drove sheep and cattle to the north, the soldiers began to sing patriotic songs.
“I was shocked to hear,” Abiy planned to join the army in the field, one of the suspects, 42-year-old driver Tesfaye Sherefa, told AFP.
“When a leader leaves his seat … and his chair is to save his country. His purpose is not to live, but to save this country, and I cried when he said ‘follow me’ and go to war.
Abiy announced Monday night his intention to “lead the military” forward, but officials and state media have not said much about his move since then.
Employers in Kolfe copied the statement, sports T-shirts with a photo of Abiy wearing a uniform and the slogan “We have a responsibility to protect Ethiopia’s free name.”
“I’m proud and I stand by him,” 25-year-old Esubalew Wale, another recruiter, told AFP.
‘Great privilege’
Feyisa, a long-distance runner, told state reporters that the terrorists wanted a “great opportunity” to protect the country.
The athlete gained political prominence by raising and crossing his arms as he completed the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro – a symbol of the Oromos genocide in protest of the atrocities that took place almost three decades after TPLF rule.
Speaking to state media who aired Wednesday, Feyisa said he would enjoy the opportunity to fight the TPLF alone.
“When the world is broken, there is no way I can stop and just look,” he said.
A state-run media report quoted Ethiopian sprinter Haile Gebreselassie as saying that he too would fight in the future.
But the footage was not disclosed and AFP was unable to confirm on its own.
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