Tens of thousands of Ethiopians took to the streets of cities and towns in the country on Saturday to denounce what they called foreign interference in their internal affairs.
The protests followed renewed pressure on the Ethiopian government to sue for peace with rebels of the Tigray People’s Liberaion Front (TPLF) who are said to be losing ground militarily.
In the capital Addis Ababa, tens thousands of people marched to Meskel Square chanting slogans such as “Respect our sovereignty,” “TPLF is a mercenary group,” “TPLF is the cause!,” “End proxy war on Ethiopia,” “People in Tigray are our compatriots ; Junta [TPLF] is our enemy,” and “TPLF should not be given a chance to prepare for the fourth round of attack”.
Similar rallies took place in many other cities and towns across Ethiopia around the same time.
Ethiopians increasingly tend to think that western powers are primarily interested in reviving the TPLF – a rebel group that the Ethiopian parliament designated as a terrorist organisation in 2021.
By the end of 2021 TPLF took control of most parts of Afar and Amhara regions of Ethiopia.
It was about 200 kilometers to reach the capital Addis Ababa from the northern direction.
There has been a reversal of their fortune on the battlefield ever since.
The Ethiopian government confirmed earlier this week that federal forces are in control of three key towns (Shire, Alamata and Korem) in the Tigray region.
Local sources also indicate that the Ethiopian government has already started distributing food aid in the areas recaptured recently.
Work to restore power to the recaptured towns is also underway, said the government.
Earlier this week, United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Gutereres, made claims that the war in Ethiopia is “spiralling out of control” and driving more than a million people into a humanitarian crisis.
MG/as/APA