UN Security Council calls for ceasefire in Ethiopia

The UN Security Council on Friday called for a ceasefire in Ethiopia, expressing "deep concern" over the escalation of fighting in the north of the conflict-hit country.

"The members of the Security Council expressed deep concern about the expansion and intensification of military clashes in northern Ethiopia," the body said in a joint statement.

"They further called to put an end to hostilities and to negotiate a lasting ceasefire and for the creation of conditions for the start of an inclusive Ethiopian national dialogue to resolve the crisis."  

The council's 15 member countries, which have been struggling to reach a common position over the conflict in Ethiopia, released the statement as Tigrayan rebels threaten to march on the capital Addis Ababa, a year into the fighting. 

The council also expressed concern over the humanitarian situation and national stability, and "reaffirmed their strong commitment to the sovereignty, political independence, territorial integrity and unity of Ethiopia."

A public meeting of the council set for Friday has been postponed to Monday.

US urges Americans to leave Ethiopia urgently as rebels join forces

The US embassy in Addis Ababa on Friday urged Americans to leave Ethiopia "as soon as possible" over fears of a rebel advance on the capital, as nine groups battling the government joined forces. 

Concern over the country's year-old conflict is escalating after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government declared a state of emergency and vowed to press on to victory in "an existential war."

In an advisory, the US embassy warned "the security environment in Ethiopia is very fluid."

It urged "citizens who are in Ethiopia to leave the country as soon as possible."

The warning came after several groups including the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) — locked in a year-long conflict with the government — and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) announced a new alliance.

The TPLF said Wednesday that its fighters had reached the town of Kemissie in the Amhara region, 325 kilometres northeast of the capital, and were running "joint operations" with the OLA, which predicted Addis Ababa could fall in a matter of weeks.Berhane Gebre-Christos, a TPLF representative who signed the nine-party agreement in Washington, said Friday that time was running out for Abiy.

"Our intention is to remove the regime," he told reporters.

'Alarmist narrative'

Abiy's spokeswoman Billene Seyoum on Friday accused the rebels of spinning "an alarmist narrative that is creating much tension among different communities, including the international community".

"This information warfare and this propaganda that they have been propagating is giving a false sense of insecurity," she added.

On Friday, the defence ministry called on veterans to re-enlist in the armed forces "to safeguard the country from a conspiracy to disintegrate it".

On Thursday, lawmakers approved a six-month state of emergency that allows authorities to detain without a warrant anyone suspected of supporting "terrorist groups" or suspend media outlets believed to be "giving moral support directly or indirectly" to the TPLF.

Rights watchdog Amnesty International on Friday slammed the emergency measures, calling them "a blueprint for escalating human rights violations". 

Two lawyers monitoring arbitrary detentions of Tigrayans in Addis Ababa told AFP this week they had received reports of dozens of people rounded up by police since the emergency was declared, some taken from their homes.

The new alliance could be an attempt by the TPLF to demonstrate it has a broad base of support across Ethiopia.

The TPLF attempted to put together a similarly diverse coalition in the late 1980s, ahead of toppling longtime autocratic ruler Mengistu Hailemariam in 1991.

That coalition, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), went on to rule the country for nearly three decades before a prolonged protest movement brought Abiy to power in 2018.