By John Ikani
The United Nations (UN) has warned that Ethiopia is at a risk of descending into a widening civil war if the fighting in the northern region of Tigray does not stop.
The Head of the UN’s Political and Peace-Building Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, said no aid trucks had reached Tigray’s capital Mekelle since mid-October, despite seven million people being in urgent need of food aid.
The UN says 400,000 of those in need are living under famine-like conditions.
Addressing the Council, the African Union’s Envoy to the Horn of Africa, Olusegun Obasanjo, said he had met Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the leader of the Tigray region, Debretsion Gebremichael.
He said both agreed that the conflict was political though there was no mention of direct talks between the two sides.
The Security Council wants troops and militias to withdraw from the area to enable access for much needed food and medicine.
The Ethiopian Government’s conflict with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) began a year ago and has accelerated in recent days, with a nationwide state of emergency declared last week and residents of the capital told to be ready to take up arms to defend residential areas.
Thousands have been killed and more than two million have fled their homes since last November, when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched a military offensive against the TPLF, which had long run Tigray and was a main player in Ethiopia’s national politics.
Tensions began to simmer when Abiy came to power in 2018 and sought to reduce its influence.
Since the beginning of August, the conflict has spread from Tigray to the neighbouring regions of Afar and Amhara. Together with rebels of the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), the TPLF has threatened to advance towards the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.
Tens of thousands of people have rallied in Addis Ababa in solidarity with the Abiy-led Government.
