Ethiopia PM orders ‘military action’ against Tigray region leaders after alleged base attack
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has ordered military action against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), after accusing the latter of staging an early morning attack on a military base in the northern region of Tigray.
Abiy accuses the group, which is also the region’s ruling party under Ethiopia’s federal system, of launching the armed assault and attempting to loot weapons and artillery from the base.
Ethiopia’s central government accuses the region’s leaders of training and arming irregular militias in recent weeks, “outside of the constitutionally mandated structure.”
TPLF attacks Ethiopian National Defense Forces Base in Tigray.
The Ethiopian National Defense Forces, under the direction of a Command Post, have been ordered to carry out their mission. #PMOEthiopia pic.twitter.com/ouemhZO5u3
— Office of the Prime Minister – Ethiopia (@PMEthiopia) November 4, 2020
In a statement posted to social media, Abiy said the federal government had exercised patience and restraint but that this morning’s alleged attack was a “last red line,” which necessitated a “military confrontation” in order to “save the country and region from spiraling into instability.”
The prime minister urged the Ethiopian people to stay calm and vigilant while standing by the country’s military in this “critical time.”
