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Home North Africa Ethiopian rebels express worries over bloodbath as people rally for army

Ethiopian rebels express worries over bloodbath as people rally for army

by Editor lll
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By Theodore Jones –

Even as tens of thousands joined a pro-military march in Addis Ababa on Sunday, rebels opposing Ethiopia’s government played off predictions that they would meet a hostile crowd or unleash a “bloodbath” if they advanced into the city.

The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and its allies have been fighting the government for a year, killing thousands of people and driving many more into poverty in the huge east African country.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize winner, dispatched soldiers to Tigray in November of last year, accusing the TPLF of targeting military posts.

But the TPLF and their allies have claimed several victories in recent weeks, taking towns some 400 kilometres from the capital, and have not ruled out marching on Addis Ababa.

“The story that the population in Addis is vehemently opposed to us is absolutely overstated,” TPLF spokesman Getachew Reda told AFP in an interview on Saturday night.

“Addis is a melting pot. People with all kinds of interests live in Addis. The claim that Addis will turn into a bloodbath if we enter Addis is absolutely ridiculous.”

While the rebels would enter Addis Ababa to overthrow Abiy, he said taking the capital was not “an objective”.

He also said the TPLF, which dominated Ethiopia’s politics for nearly 30 years until Abiy came to power in 2018, had no desire to take back power.

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