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ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia
Ethiopians on Tuesday praised their armed forces for fighting in the northernmost province of Tigray.
On November 4, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered a military campaign against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the ruling group in Tigray province for defying federal authorities and also attacking a military camp in the capital. provincial, Mekele, killing numerous soldiers. Authorities say the operation has reached its final stage.
At 11:30 a.m. local time, traffic came to a sudden stop in Addis Ababa, with drivers and passengers exiting the vehicles and applauding the defense forces.
The idea of calling in the defense forces was proposed by a group of Ethiopian artists, including veteran artist Debebe Eshetu, who was imprisoned by the TPLF in 2005.
Abiy said Tuesday that since the three-day surrender ultimatum given to the TPLF ended, the army will launch the final combat in the next few days.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Amarech Zewdu, 50, said he was happy to see Ethiopians rally behind the soldiers to maintain the sovereignty of the country.
Lieutenant Abere Nega, 51, a retired soldier, said he was ready to join the soldiers to go to the front lines.
“I have never cried before in my life. Now I can’t resist my tears, ”he said.
On Monday, Ethiopia launched airstrikes that it claimed destroyed TPLF ammunition depots in the suburb of Mekele.
Last week, TPLF forces fired rockets into neighboring Amhara state, causing partial damage to airports in the lakeside resort town of Bahir Dar and the historic town of Gondar. TPLF forces also fired rockets at the airport in Asmara, the capital of Ethiopia’s northern neighbor, Eritrea.
Abiy, who comes from an ethnically mixed family, won the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for making peace with Eritrea and fostering regional cooperation. The peace pact was not received favorably by the TPLF leaders who have controlled the Tigray region.
Last week, the upper house of the Ethiopian parliament, the Federation Chamber, decided to establish an interim administration in Tigray to replace the TPLF. Observers believe Abiy’s policies had sidelined the Tigrayans and made them prone to anti-corruption witch hunts.
* Seleshi Tessema contributed to this story.
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