Sharjah24 – AFP: Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said Monday he would head to the war front to lead soldiers battling rebels as the year-long conflict moves closer to the capital Addis Ababa.
"Starting tomorrow, I will mobilise to the front to lead the defence forces," Abiy, winner of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, said in a statement posted on Twitter.
"Those who want to be among the Ethiopian children who will be hailed by history, rise up for your country today. Let's meet at the front."
Abiy's statement came as the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) rebel group continued to press towards Addis Ababa, claiming control of the town of Shewa Robit, just 220 kilometres northeast of the capital by road.
It also came after the ruling Prosperity Party's executive committee met Monday to discuss the war, which has dragged on for a year.
After that meeting, Defence Minister Abraham Belay told state-affiliated media that security forces would embark on a "different action", without providing details.
"We can't continue like this, that means there will be change," Belay said.
"What happened and is happening to our people, the abuses being meted out by this destructive, terrorist, robber group, can't continue."
Abiy sent troops into Ethiopia's northernmost Tigray region to topple the TPLF in November 2020, saying the move came in response to TPLF attacks on army camps.
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