The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday called for an immediate end to fighting in Ethiopia, reported Al Jazeera.
“The peace process in Colombia today inspires me to make an urgent call to the protagonists of the conflict in Ethiopia for an unconditional and immediate ceasefire,” Guterres said during a joint address with Colombia’s President Ivan Duque.
The war broke out in November 2020 in Ethiopia’s Tigray region between the Ethiopian military and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, which had long dominated the national government before Abiy came to power. In July, the conflict spread into two neighboring regions in northern Ethiopia.
Thousands of people have been killed since fighting erupted in November 2020. The conflict has triggered a humanitarian crisis, which the United Nations claims have left hundreds of thousands on the brink of famine and displaced more than 2 million people.
Guterres said ending fighting in Ethiopia would allow a dialogue to take place between Ethiopians, permitting the country to once again contribute to the stability of the region. The UN chief urged the leaders in Ethiopia to follow the example of Colombia.
Earlier this month, the Ethiopian government declared a state of emergency across the country for six months to protect the country from the Tigrayan rebel forces who are advancing towards the country’s capital Addis Ababa.
The latest development has prompted several countries and organizations including the UN to begin evacuating their people and diplomatic missions from Ethiopia. Germany, France, and The United States have urged their nationals to leave Ethiopia as soon as possible.
Earlier this week, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said that he would head to the battlefront to lead his soldiers in what his government described as an existential war. He said martyrdom might be necessary in the yearlong war with rival fighters approaching the capital.
