Tens of thousands rally in Ethiopian capital to slam US, support govt. campaign against rebels
Tens of thousands of people have rallied in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to denounce the United States and support the government’s campaign against rebellious forces who are threatening to march on the capital.
According to Press TV, on Sunday, protesters took to the streets of Addis Ababa expressing their firm support for Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who has launched a military operation against armed rebels in the restive northern region of Tigray.
The demonstrators, some of them convened in Meskel Square in central Addis Ababa, draped themselves in the national flag and denounced the US, which has been calling on Abiy’s government in recent days to hold a ceasefire with armed rebels.
“Shame on you USA”, read one demonstrator’s placard, while another said the US should stop “sucking Ethiopia’s blood.”
“Why does the US government not negotiate with terrorists like al-Shabab?” said another demonstrator, referring to an al-Qaeda-inked Takfiri terrorist group mostly active in Somalia.
“They want to destroy our country like they did to Afghanistan. They will never succeed, we are Ethiopians,” she added.
Tigray has been the scene of conflict since November 2020, when Abiy, winner of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, sent troops there to topple Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) in response to attacks on army camps.
Three weeks later, the government declared victory when it gained control of the regional capital, Mekelle. However, the TPLF forces resumed fighting later and retook Mekelle and most of Tigray at the end of June after the government withdrew its soldiers and declared a ceasefire. The fighting has continued since then.
The year-long war, which has so far killed thousands of people and displaced two million more, intensified amid rebel advances last weekend as Abiy’s government has pledged to keep fighting.
The central government in Addis Ababa stressed on Friday that it had a responsibility to secure the east African country, urging its international partners to stand with Ethiopia’s democracy.
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