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The UN chief has expressed “alarm” over the reported armed clashes in northern Ethiopia, calling for immediate measures to reduce tensions and ensure a peaceful resolution of the dispute, his spokesman said.
“The Secretary General renews the commitment of the United Nations, with its partners in the region, to support the government of Ethiopia in its reform efforts aimed at building a peaceful and secure future for all its peoples,” said the UN spokesman. Stephane Dujarric in a statement Wednesday night.
Following reports of violence in the Tigray region, the spokesman for the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, underscored the importance of Ethiopia’s stability for the Horn of Africa region.
On Wednesday, Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered a military response to an attack by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) on an army camp in the regional capital of Mekele, citing months of “provocation and incitement” and stating that “the last red line has been crossed”.
Earlier, senior members of the TPLF, a group that fell out with the country’s ruling party, blocked army movements in and out of Tigray state.
Just a week ago, a general recently appointed by the federal government to lead the army’s northern division in Tigray was sent back to the capital Addis Ababa upon arrival in Mekele, where regional leaders held elections in defiance of federal authorities. in August.
The Ethiopian government on Wednesday also declared a state of emergency in the Tigray region.
In a statement, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said it was concerned about the escalation of violence in the Horn of Africa country.
Increased hostilities in the Tigray region threaten the immediate safety of hundreds of thousands of people. Any increase in violence would herald further regional destabilization and a humanitarian disaster. We urge all parties to resolve tensions through dialogue and take all appropriate steps to end the action, “the NRC said.
There are currently 1.82 million internally displaced persons in Ethiopia and another 790,000 refugees seeking protection from other conflicts in the East African region, according to the NRC.
