The US on Monday once again warned its citizens to leave Ethiopia after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed vowed to lead the army “from the battlefront” as forces from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and its allies advance towards Addis Ababa.
“This is a time when leading a country with martyrdom is needed,” Mr Abiy wrote in a lengthy Twitter statement.
Shortly after Mr Abiy posted his statement, a senior State Department official reiterated calls for US citizens to flee the country, saying that the US would not be able to conduct an Afghanistan-style evacuation should Americans become trapped in Ethiopia.
“The US embassy is unlikely to be able to assist US citizens in Ethiopia with departure if commercial options become unavailable,” the State Department official told reporters on a call.
“We cannot predict when and if conditions might change. Now is the time to reach out to the embassy for departure assistance.”
The official noted that the State Department does not know how many US citizens remain in Ethiopia, but that some dual citizens have been detained in Mr Abiy’s roundup of members of the Tigrayan ethnic group.
Meanwhile on Monday, Jeffrey Feltman, the US special envoy for the Horn of Africa, returned from Ethiopia, where he met Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen in a bid to convince Addis Ababa to enter into peace negotiations with the TPLF.
“Our message and focus remain clear: an immediate cessation of hostilities without preconditions, access for all those in need — regardless of ethnicity or geography — to life-saving humanitarian assistance and an immediate end to human rights abuses and violations,” a second senior State Department official told reporters.
Neither State Department official would comment on Mr Abiy’s vow to personally involve himself in the fighting.
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Captive Ethiopian soldiers arrive at the Mekele Rehabilitation Centre in Tigray, Ethiopia, after a four-day journey from Abdi Eshir. All photos: AFP -
Women welcome Tigray People's Liberation Front fighters as they return to Mekele after seizing control of the city in June 2021. -
Ethiopians who fled the Tigray conflict wait to charge their phones at Um Raquba refugee camp in Gedaref, Sudan. -
A member of the Afar Special Forces stands in front of the debris of a house on the outskirts of the village of Bisober in Tigray. -
People hold candles and Ethiopian flags at a memorial service for the victims of the Tigray conflict in Addis Ababa. -
An Ethiopian refugee who fled fighting in Tigray waits behind a fence in a camp in Sudan. -
Refugees living in a camp in Sudan after fleeing violence in Tigray. -
A woman walks among the remains of a destroyed factory in Ataye, Ethiopia, where more than 100 civilians died in a recent flare-up of violence. -
Two members of the Amhara militia ride in the back of a pick-up truck. Amharas and Tigrayans were uneasy neighbours before the current fighting, with tension over land sparking violent clashes. -
Militias from the Amhara region have been involved in the fighting in Tigray. -
Tens of thousands of Ethiopians gather at a rally organised by the mayor of Addis Ababa to show support for the military's efforts in Tigray. -
Zeleke Alabachew, farmer and militia fighter, tends to his land near the village of Tekeldengy, Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous nation. -
People celebrate the liberation of opposition leaders in the city of Alamata, Ethiopia. -
A family fleeing violence sit in a former classroom at May Weyni secondary school, now hosting 10,500 displaced people, in Mekele, capital of Tigray. -
Ethiopian refugees travel to Sudan to escape violence in Tigray. -
Ethiopian refugees gather to celebrate the 46th anniversary of the Tigray People's Liberation Front at Um Raquba refugee camp in Gedaref, Sudan. The TPLF dominated Ethiopian politics before being ousted from their regional stronghold last year. -
An Ethiopian refugee sets up a tent in a camp in the town of Gedaref, Sudan, after being transported from the border reception centre. -
Pro-Tigrayan demonstrators display placards during a protest in front of the chancellery in Berlin. -
The aftermath of heavy shelling in Wukro, a city north of Mekele, in Ethiopia.
The administration of US President Joe Biden has used sanctions and other penalties on Ethiopia to convince Mr Abiy to come to the negotiating table — so far to no avail.
The US went so far as to expel Ethiopia from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which provides eligible countries with duty-free access to the US market for thousands of products.
“US officials have repeatedly warned the Ethiopian government that it was at risk of losing eligibility under AGOA if violations went unaddressed,” the State Department official told The National.
“And we continue to urge the government to take steps necessary to retain or regain AGOA and benefits.”
Still, the State Department official said that “we still believe that a small window of opportunity exists” to end the bloodshed before it accelerates further.
The TPLF joined eight other rebel groups, including the Oromo Liberation Army, and began its advance on Addis Ababa this month.
Ethiopia has cut internet, phone and media access in Tigray since the conflict erupted last year between the TPLF and Ethiopian government forces, backed by Eritrean troops and Amhara militias.
Witnesses have described widespread human rights abuses in Tigray, including the displacement and murder of civilians, gang rapes, the destruction of civilian infrastructure and the burning of crops.
Amnesty International has documented sexual violence and civilian casualties in Tigray at the hands of Ethiopian forces and their allies.
The human rights organisation has also documented similar human rights abuses against civilians in neighbouring Amhara at the hands of the TPLF.
