Ethiopian PM vows to lead troops in war against rebels

Ethiopia’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning prime minister on Monday night said that he will lead his country’s army “from the battlefront” beginning on Tuesday.

“Starting tomorrow, I will mobilise to the front to lead the defence forces,” Abiy Ahmed said in a statement posted on Twitter.

“Those who want to be among the Ethiopian children who will be hailed by history, rise up for your country today. Let’s meet at the battlefront.”

Abiy’s statement came as the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) rebel group continued to press towards Addis Ababa, claiming control of the town of Shewa Robit, just 220km northeast of the capital by road.

Thousands of people have reportedly been killed in the war between Ethiopian and allied forces, and fighters from the country’s northern Tigray region, who dominated the national government before Abiy took office. 

According to a US military official, the US military has positioned US special operations forces in Djibouti to be ready to provide assistance to the US Embassy in Ethiopia incase the situation worsens.