France, Germany countries recently to encourage citizens to leave Ethiopia | Stories

More and more countries are urging their citizens to leave Ethiopia, where a one-year war between the military and the northern Tigray forces seems to be changing dramatically.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed late Monday announced to do so head to the front row Tuesday to lead his troops, announcing: “We are now in the final stages of rescuing Ethiopia.”

On Tuesday, France advised its citizens to leave Ethiopia “soon”. Germany also appealed to its citizens to leave the country for the first trade trip available, following the same tactic of the United States and the United Kingdom in recent weeks, citing security breaches.

Meanwhile, the United Nations has stated that it is “temporarily relocating” the families of workers from other countries from Ethiopia, adding that the workers will be living in the country.

“We will continue to monitor the situation, remember the safety of our staff and the need to continue to stand up for and deliver, continue to work and support all those who need our support,” Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday. .

This came as Tigrayan forces announced in recent weeks that they were approaching the capital of Addis Ababa.

Many areas in northern Ethiopia are being shut down and access to the media is restricted, making military statements difficult to verify.

But Addis Ababa officials stressed on Tuesday that security forces, including youth groups, were working to ensure the country’s stability and stability and told diplomats not to worry. The government also accused its enemies of exaggerating what they had found in their area.

“The false and terrorist propaganda published by Western journalists strongly contradicts the peace of the city, so that representatives of the public should not be alarmed or intimidated,” said Kenea Yadeta, chief of Addis Ababa Peace and Security. Organization.

The conflict in northern Ethiopia has been raging since November 2020 when Abiy sent troops to the Tigray region to overthrow the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) after months of disagreement with the party, which has ruled the country for 30 years.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2019 promised a quick victory, but by the end of June the TPLF had regrouped and recaptured most of the Tigray, including its regional capital, Mekelle.

Since then, Tigrayan forces have been pushing for neighboring Afar and Amhara and this week took control of Shewa Robit, just 220 km (135 km) northeast of Addis Ababa. The government has not responded to a request for Shewa Robit’s condition.

The special envoy of the African Union to the Horn of Africa, Olusegun Obasanjo, has been leading a massive crackdown on war, but so far little progress has been made.

On Tuesday, a U.S. special envoy to the Horn of Africa spoke of “progress” in establishing peace between the warring factions, but warned that it could be affected by “dangerous” developments on the ground.

“While there is some progress, it is in danger of exceeding the number of troops on both sides,” Jeffrey Feltman told reporters after his return from Addis Ababa.

Separately, South African and Kenyan leaders on Tuesday urged rival parties to call for an end to the war and political dialogue.

But Abiy, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 for keeping peace with neighboring Eritrea, was skeptical of any prospect of a peaceful solution.

“From tomorrow, I will gather in front to lead the army,” he said on Monday.

“Those who want to be one of the Ethiopian children who will be praised by history, stand up for your country today. Let’s meet in the future.”

It came just weeks after the government announced the accident for six months and asked all eligible citizens to join.

Professor Kjetil Tronvoll, of the University of Oslo, described Abiy’s recent actions with “gambling”.

“We know that he ordered the leadership of [governing] “Prosperity Party to join, and we know that Amhara’s political leadership has said they will join the war,” Tronvoll told Al Jazeera.

Meanwhile, the UN on Tuesday launched a major operation to provide food aid to two towns in northern Ethiopia despite the theft of warehouses.

The UN World Food Program says a “major food aid project” will help more than 450,000 people in the next two weeks in the Amhara towns of Kombolcha and Dessie at the crossroads of the main road to Addis Ababa.