[ad_1]
NAIROBI – Ethiopia’s human rights commission condemned the detention of journalists as Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed continued a military offensive in a northern region against local leaders who challenged his authority.
Hundreds of people have been killed in airstrikes and fighting since the conflict broke out a week ago. Fears are growing that Ethiopia, a nation of 110 million people, could slide into an ethnic-tinged civil war.
“We reiterate our call for respect for due and fair process,” said Daniel Bekele, head of the government’s designated rights commission, mentioning two journalists from independent Ethiopian news organizations who were detained for what Bekele described as “alleged media-related offenses “.
The Addis Ababa police commissioner said on Sunday that the government had arrested 162 people in possession of firearms and ammunition, on suspicion of supporting the Tigrayan forces. It was unclear whether the detained journalists were among that group.
The prime minister’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
The Committee to Protect Journalists, a global watchdog, called the arrests “a dangerous reversal of the first steps taken by (the) government to improve press freedom.”
Abiy, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019, launched military operations in the troubled Tigray region last week after accusing the local government of attacking a military base.
There is deep animosity between the leaders of the Tigray ethnic group of northern Ethiopia and Abiy, who hail from the larger Oromo ethnic group.
Some 2,500 Ethiopians have fled across the border into Sudan, and the exodus is likely to increase rapidly, an official said Tuesday.
The United Nations and the African Union are calling for a ceasefire. Abiy is not listening to requests for mediation, diplomats and security officials in East Africa told Reuters.
“We will not rest until this meeting is brought to justice,” Abiy wrote on Twitter Tuesday night.
