Ethiopia Does Not Want War says PM

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has said his government has no intention of returning to war, despite rising tensions and troop deployments around the northern Tigray region.

In an interview broadcast late Thursday by the Ethiopian News Agency, Abiy said his government preferred dialogue over confrontation.

“On our part, we believe problems should be resolved only through dialogue. We don’t want war.”

Speaking in Tigrinya, the main language of Tigray, the prime minister accused elements within the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) of obstructing efforts to pursue dialogue and lasting solutions. He also suggested the group had been unwilling to make even minimal compromises during negotiations.

Ethiopia Does Not Want War says PM — Ethiopia Does Not Want War, says PM. Credit: Arab News.

However, in an interview with AFP earlier this week, TPLF deputy leader Amanuel Assefa alleged that the government was preparing to launch a new military offensive against Tigray.

Federal authorities have, in turn, accused the TPLF of strengthening ties with Eritrea, a claim the group denies.

Abiy further warned that Eritrea could attempt to destabilise Ethiopia but insisted his government would not allow any renewed threat to its citizens, adding that any such move would likely be the country’s last attempt.

“We will not give it a chance to hurt our people once again. If it tries, I believe it will be its last attempt,” he said.

Relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea remain fragile. Eritrean officials have previously accused Addis Ababa of harbouring ambitions to gain access to the Red Sea through the Eritrean port of Assab.

The two countries fought a brutal border war from 1998 to 2000 over several disputed towns.