Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has reportedly joined the front line where government forces are battling rebels from the Tigray region, Persecondnews.com gathered.
Mr Abiy, winner of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, “is now leading the counter-offensive” and “has been giving leadership from the battlefield as of yesterday,” state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate reported.
The fighting has killed thousands of people and forced hundreds of thousands into famine-like conditions over the past year.
Foreign governments have told their citizens to leave amid the escalating war and fears the Tigrayan rebels could march on the capital Addis Ababa.
On Wednesday, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for a swift end to the fighting while on a visit to Colombia to mark the fifth anniversary of a peace deal between the government and former FARC rebels.
“The peace process in Colombia inspires me to make an urgent appeal today to the protagonists of the conflict in Ethiopia for an unconditional and immediate ceasefire to save the country,” he said.
The war erupted in November last year when Mr Abiy sent troops into Tigray to topple its ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.
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