Ethiopia’s Amhara State recruits more youth, promises to crush TDF in Tigray
NAIROBI, Kenya – The conflict in Ethiopia appears to be spiraling out of control as Amhara regional forces have gathered more young people to join the combat strategy with the Tigray Defense Forces. [TDF] which closes in the north by buying back its strongholds.
Amhara State called on young people to join the regional army, saying they will help crush the Tigrayan fighters fighting the federal government army and forces from the other nine regions of Ethiopia.
Over the past three weeks, the Tigray Defense Forces have made incursions into Amhara territories and parts of Afar, after capturing Mekelle, the regional administrative capital of Tigray. Amhara troops are also preparing for a major comeback.
“I call on all young people, militiamen, non-militiamen in the region, armed with any government weapon, armed with personal weapons, to join the anti-TDF war mission from tomorrow,” Agegnehu Teshager said. , chairman of the Amhara regional government. as the state media in the region say.
Calls to TDF spokesperson Getachew Reda for comment were not answered, Voice of America reported.
The TDF had earlier promised to flush out Amhara’s regional forces and federal troops engaged in the Tigray War which left thousands dead and millions displaced. TDF has since reorganized for an attack on what they call “aggression.”
In November 2020, government troops backed by Amhara regional forces and those of Eritrea pushed the TDF out of Mekelle before claiming victory. However, the government pulled out in July but TDF maintains that the ENDF has lost ground.
This week, the Tigrayans pushed their offensive towards Afar, their neighboring state in the east, where they said they plan to target troops from the Amhara region fighting alongside the Federal Army in the region.
Afar is a strategic region for landlocked Ethiopia as the main road and railway line connecting the capital, Addis Ababa, to the seaport of Djibouti cross it.
Amhara Special Forces Commander Brigadier General Tefera Mamo was quoted by state media in the region on Saturday as saying the war has spread to the state.
“The terrorist group has started a war in the Amhara and Afar regions and is also harassing Ethiopians,” Tefera said, referring to TDF. “Amhara’s special forces are fighting in coordination with other security forces.
Thousands of people have died in the fighting, around 2 million have been displaced and more than 5 million depend on emergency food aid.
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