Ethiopia calls on its citizens to join battles against rebels in Tigray

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s office said that “all able Ethiopians” should take part in the fight against the forces of the Tigray region.

Ahmed called on “all eligible Ethiopians and adults” to join the armed forces at a time when the ongoing conflict in the Tigray region for nine months has spread to two regions in the north of the country in recent weeks, according to Agence France-Presse.

“It is time for all eligible and adult Ethiopians to join the Defense Forces, Special Forces and Militia, and show their patriotism,” said a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, after declaring less than two months ago a unilateral ceasefire.

On Sunday, rebels from Ethiopia’s Tigray region confirmed that they had captured the historic city of Lalibela, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the neighboring Amhara region, German news agency DPA reported.

The Ethiopian government launched an attack on the Tigray People’s Liberation Front in the Tigray region last November after years of tension between them.

The Front had dominated Ethiopia for more than 25 years until the government in Addis Ababa, headed by Ahmed, took power in 2018.