Ethiopia's Abiy Vows to Continue Tigray Offensive

According to government sources, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is aiming for a "decisive response" after gathering intelligence that the local Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) was receiving foreign support which reportedly emboldened the attack on a military camp, reports The Nation. The conflict comes after the TPLF's decision to proceed with regional elections in Tigray State despite a central government decision to postpone polls due to the Covid-19 pandemic. "The Tigrayans are opposed to PM Abiy Ahmed because they are the elites and remnants of (former prime minister) Meles Zenawi. They oppose his policies and are powerful because they took advantage of Meles' years in power to enrich themselves," said Dr Abdiwahab Sheikh Abdisamad, an East Africa analyst.'

While the Internation Crisis Group says that "unless urgently halted, the ongoing armed confrontation between Ethiopia's federal forces and those commanded by the northern Tigray region's leadership will be devastating not just for the country but for the entire Horn of Africa. African leaders and the country's international partners need to urgently press Addis Ababa and the TPLF to cease fire and enter unconditional discussions on sustaining a truce".