ETHIOPIA’S PM URGES DIALOGUE, SAYS COUNTRY 'DOESN’T WANT WAR' AMID TIGRAY TENSIONS

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By ‘Sefiu Ajape

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has said his country does not want another war, even as authorities in the northern Tigray region warn that federal troops are massing near the area, fuelling fears of renewed fighting.

Tigray emerged in 2022 from a devastating two-year conflict that saw Ethiopian federal forces, backed by regional militias and the Eritrean army, battle fighters of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).

The TPLF had dominated Ethiopian politics for nearly three decades before Abiy, who is not from Tigray, came to power in 2018. After his rise, the group was sidelined and later banned.

The conflict claimed at least 600,000 lives, according to estimates by the African Union.

Although a ceasefire largely held for more than two years, clashes between federal and Tigrayan forces erupted again in November last year and in January.

For several weeks, large numbers of federal troops have reportedly gathered along the Tigray border, where Tigrayan fighters have also deployed forces.

Speaking in an interview broadcast late Thursday by the Ethiopian news agency, Abiy said, “On our part, we believe problems should be resolved only through dialogue. We don’t want war.”

Addressing the issue in Tigrinya, the language spoken in Tigray, he said some actors were “obstructing dialogue from taking place” and preventing solutions.

He further accused the TPLF of refusing compromise, saying the group “wasn’t ready to make even a small compromise.”

However, the TPLF’s deputy leader, Amanuel Assefa, told AFP on Wednesday that the “federal government is preparing itself to wage a war against Tigray.”

Federal authorities have also accused the TPLF of drawing closer to neighbouring Eritrea, whose relationship with Addis Ababa remains fragile. The TPLF has denied the claim.

Meanwhile, Eritrea has accused Ethiopia of harbouring ambitions over its Red Sea port of Assab.

The two countries previously fought a bloody border war between May 1998 and June 2000 over several disputed towns.

In the interview, Abiy warned that Eritrea could attempt to destabilise Ethiopia.

“We will not give it a chance to hurt our people once again. If it tries, I believe it will be its last attempt,” he said.