Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called on armed groups in Amhara and Oromia regions of Ethiopia to lay down their arms and engage in peaceful talks to resolve the ongoing conflict in the country.
Addressing members of the House of Peoples’ Representatives (HoPR), the lower house of the parliament on Thursday, Ahmed expressed his government’s strong commitment to ensuring a durable peace in the country by paying all required sacrifices.
He said the armed groups which he referred to as ‘extremist groups’ have shown indifference to engage in peace talks despite its push for the peaceful settlement of the ongoing conflict in the country.
He said the extremist groups aim at taking power by toppling the government which is far more powerful than them.
“Government troops have never been involved in mass killing of civilians,” said the premier, rejecting the latest report by Human Rights Watch which accused the Ethiopian troops of killing civilians in the Amhara region of the country.
“Starting a war is simple, but once it gets going, the effects are terrible. So the sound of the gunshots is enough. We don’t want a war. Let’s be united. We have one common country,” Ahmed said.
The premier stressed the need to end the conflicts that had been inherited from generation to generation, through national dialogue.
In this regard, Ahmed affirmed the strong commitment of the government to do whatever it costs to bring sustainable peace.
“It is impossible now to grab political power through the barrel of the gun and war in Ethiopia,” he noted.
Moreover, he highlighted the enormous efforts exerted by the government to address challenges of peace, emphasizing the importance of peaceful dialogue to ensure sustainable progress without resorting to conflict.
MG/as/APA