Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has accused local business people of supporting armed groups operating in different parts of the country.
Addressing the business community across the country on Wednesday, Ahmed said that a significant portion of the instability affecting Ethiopia is driven by wealthy individuals supporting the armed groups.
“Sixty percent of the instability shaking Ethiopia’s peace is fueled by wealthy Ethiopians who are backing armed groups,” he said, adding that it is contradictory for peace advocates to fund these factions.
Ahmed called on “peace-seeking businesspeople” to stop supporting these groups and encourage armed groups to engage in peace talks.
“We are ready for dialogue with anyone seeking peace,” he said, although he did not provide specifics on how such negotiations would proceed or identify the groups involved.
Though unnamed, the Prime Minister likely referred to groups such as Fano and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), which have increased their activities in Amhara and Oromia regions since federal forces were deployed in August 2023 to disarm regional militias.
Ethiopia’s Minister of Peace, Mohammed Endris, recently claimed that the government now controls 263 but two districts in Amhara region where the Fano militias are becoming a dominant force.
MG/abj/APA