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The government of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is committed to the “protection and safety of civilians” in the northern Tigray region, where federal troops are fighting regional forces, his office said Friday.
Abiy made the remarks during a meeting with African Union peace envoys to discuss the conflict against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which erupted three weeks ago.
In a statement following meeting with former Presidents Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique and Kgalema Motlanthe of South Africa, Abiy said he appreciated “this gesture and … the strong commitment it demonstrates to the principle of African solutions to problems. “
Still, the government has a “constitutionally ordered responsibility to enforce (the) rule of law in the region and throughout the country,” he added.
Read more: Ethiopia: ‘The people of Tigray are terrified’
Abiy remains defiant
The envoys had been sent to Addis Ababa to help mediate the conflict, but the prime minister refused to negotiate with the TPLF and rejected calls for dialogue as “interference” in Ethiopia’s internal affairs.
Abiy, the winner of last year’s Nobel Peace Prize, announced on Thursday a “third and final phase” in his campaign against the TPLF.
Abiy accuses the Tigray leaders of starting the war by attacking federal troops at a base in Tigray on November 4. The TPLF says the attack was a preemptive strike.
Hundreds of people have been killed in air strikes and in ground combat.
The violence has also displaced tens of thousands more, but there is great fear for half a million civilians in Mekele, the regional capital, which the army says it surrounded before a threat of attack.
The international community has warned that such an attack could violate the rules of war and has called for urgent mediation.
Food ‘will run out next week’
Meanwhile, the United Nations refugee agency warned on Friday that about 100,000 Eritrean refugees in Tigray will be left without food next week if parties to the conflict do not allow humanitarian access.
UNHCR says 96,000 Eritrean refugees live in four camps in Tigray, and some are reported to have been in the vicinity of recent fighting.
“They would be running out of food as of Monday; we are ready with our supplies to try to reach these populations.”
UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch said at a briefing in Geneva, saying the estimate is based on calculations since the last distribution a few weeks ago.
He called for “unimpeded humanitarian access to reach them as soon as possible.”
Read more: Ethiopia: Who is the leader of Tigray, Debretsion Gebremichael?
The Tigrayan government, meanwhile, said on Friday that the federal army was bombing towns and villages and inflicting heavy damage, although it did not specifically mention Mekele.
The Tigrayans, who make up about 6% of Ethiopia’s 115 million people, dominated the government until Abiy took power two years ago.
His government has prosecuted top Tigray officials for crimes such as corruption, torture and murder, a measure that is considered discrimination in the region.
mm / jlw (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)
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