Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed vows to ‘bury the enemy’ as UN sounds alarm on hunger
- The 2019 Nobel Peace Prize winner says ‘we want to see an Ethiopia that stands while we die’, in his first message from the battlefront
- The UN’s World Food Programme warns that the year-long conflict against Tigrayan rebels has left more than 9 million people in need of food aid
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed vowed on Friday to “bury the enemy” in what state media said was his first message from the battlefront, as the United Nations warned that the year-long conflict has left more than 9 million people in need of food aid.
As Tigrayan rebels report major territorial gains, claiming this week to have seized a town just 220km (135 miles) from Addis Ababa, international alarm over the escalating conflict has deepened, with foreign countries urging their citizens to leave.
State media reported on Wednesday that Abiy, a former radio operator in the military who rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel, had arrived at the front line to lead a counteroffensive against the rebels, handing over regular duties to his deputy.
In an interview shown on Friday on the state-affiliated Oromia Broadcasting Corporation channel, the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize winner said he was certain of achieving victory against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) rebel group.
“Until we bury the enemy … until Ethiopia’s independence is confirmed, we won’t reverse course. What we want is to see an Ethiopia that stands while we die,” he said.