Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has urged civilians to join the war against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. The nation needs peace
Ceasefires are normally cause for hope, bringing respite and perhaps even peace, if not a full resolution. In Ethiopia there has been no such relief. Just as Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s Nobel peace prize was soon followed by war with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), so it seems that the ceasefire will be succeeded, as many had predicted, by an intensification of the conflict. On Tuesday, Mr Abiy urged all eligible civilians to join the war.
Nine months of conflict have resulted in thousands of deaths, created tens of thousands of refugees, and led to famine conditions for hundreds of thousands. They have seen war crimes committed by all parties, including massacres of civilians and widespread sexual violence; a report by Amnesty International alleges the systematic rape and abuse of women and girls by forces belonging or allied to the Ethiopian government. The prospect of an escalation is truly frightening.
