Nine opposing government groups – a broad coalition of armed groups and political actors representing various regional and ethnic interests – called on Friday to “response to the crises the country is facing” and fight against the “genocide regime”. Formed a new alliance. of Ethiopia,” according to a statement issued by the organisers.
The new bloc, which calls itself a united front of Ethiopian Federalist and Confederalist Forces, said at a signing event in Washington, DC, that it does not recognize Abiy’s government as legitimate and strives toward a democratic future. Wants to establish a transitional system.
The coalition consists of fighters loyal to the former ruling party of Tigre that once dominated the country, the Tigre People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), better known as the Tigre Defense Forces (TDF), battling Ethiopian forces. because Abi had ordered an offensive in this area. Year.
But Ethiopia’s top government officials have underestimated the rebel advance, claiming they receive little popular support and that the signing of the agreement was a “publicity stunt”.
Ethiopia’s Attorney General Gedeon Timothevos, who declared a state of emergency earlier in the week, said in a videoconference with journalists on Friday that members of the anti-government coalition, including fighters loyal to the TPLF, “deepened among the overwhelming majority”. Unpopular from Ethiopians.” He said the state of emergency was declared “very carefully” based on intelligence that the TPLF might try to create havoc in the capital or other cities.
Asked by CNN what conditions need to be met for the central government to engage in any talks with the TPLF, Timothyvos said: “At the very least, the TPLF should withdraw from the Amhara and Afar regions. where it is torturing innocent civilians.”
In the same videoconference, Abiy’s spokeswoman, Billin Seyum, said “the capital is proceeding with a sense of normalcy” and accused international media outlets of misrepresenting the situation.
As the war and its impact on civilians deepen, the United Nations, the United States, the European Union, Ethiopia’s southern neighbor Kenya, Canada and human rights groups have increased calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire.
The Ethiopian government announced a unilateral ceasefire in June, when Tigrayan forces recaptured the regional capital, Mekele. But the TPLF categorically denied a ceasefire, and fighting has spread beyond the borders of the Tigre to the neighboring Amhara and Afar regions.
UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet told CNN on Wednesday she was “very concerned” about the recent escalation of violence in the multi-ethnic federation, “causing a real civil war with a lot of bloodshed and a lot of pain and suffering.” could.” He said it also risks splitting Ethiopia as a state.
A joint investigation into the Tigre conflict by the United Nations Human Rights Office and Ethiopia’s state-appointed Human Rights Commission released on Wednesday found all parties to the conflict committing potential war crimes.
The US State Department has set up an Ethiopian task force, suggesting their growing concerns about the situation in the country.
Jalina Porter, a US State Department spokeswoman, said she was aware of the alliance and was “gravely concerned” about the growing risk to the “unity and integrity of the Ethiopian state”. He said the Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Jeffrey Feltman, who visited Ethiopia this week, was “continuing to pressure all sides to de-escalate the conflict and negotiate a ceasefire.”
As Tigrayan fighters push the front line south, they form an alliance with the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), a rebel group fighting for the rights of the people of Oromia, Ethiopia’s most populous region. is fighting.
Last month, Ethiopian forces intensified airstrikes on Mekele and other cities in Tigre. In recent days, Abiy has also promised to bury enemies of his government “with our blood”.
The rapid advance of fighters, who said on Sunday they had seized Daisi and Kombolcha, two major cities on the road to Addis Ababa, raised concerns among Ethiopian leaders that the capital could collapse.
“Now the only option is to do what Abiy didn’t want to do. He was asked to negotiate with the TPLF, but he refused because perhaps he felt he had the strength and advantage. And now he stands up for talks. No, said Mustafa Ali, president of the Horn International Institute of Strategic Studies, an independent research group.
“Abi can be reduced to holding the capital Addis for a short time before being driven out.”
However, it is not clear whether the rebels have the strength to capture the city and there are conflicting reports about how close they are to the capital.
An OLA spokesman told CNN on Thursday that joint rebel fighters were still “weeks to months” away from capturing the capital. They are about 160 kilometers (99 miles) from Addis Ababa, in a town called Jarba Guaracha, Oda Tarabi said.
With the federal government, the question of whether to enter the capital city is “purely based on what happens if it comes to negotiations,” Oda said, adding that the group hoped to avoid direct military conflict in the densely populated city. does.
Abiy urged civilians to take up arms and fight Tigrian forces. “Our people must march … defend, repel and bury the terrorist TPLF with any weapons and resources,” Abiy said in a Facebook post on Sunday. The provocative post was later removed by Facebook for inciting violence.
Addis Ababa’s city administration was instructing residents to register their weapons and gather in local neighborhoods to “protect” their surroundings, Reuters reported.
Ethiopian state TV was broadcasting footage of a crowd rallying in support of Abiy, waving the Ethiopian tricolor flag in the capital on Friday.
CNN’s David McKenzie and Jennifer Hansler contributed to this report.
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