MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd November, 2020) Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Sunday said that rebels from the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) have three days to 'surrender peacefully' and called on civilians in the capital of the Tigray region, Mekelle, to stand in solidarity with the government forces.
In a statement shared on his Twitter account, Ahmed urged locals in Mekelle to "play a key role" in ending the TPLF-Addis Abeba conflict and stand in solidarity with the Ethiopian military.
"Secondly, the members of the Tigray Special Forces and Militia, who are carrying out the mission of the destructive clique are also called upon to surrender peacefully ... Thirdly, to members of the destructive TPLF clique, your journey of destruction is coming to an end, and we urge you to surrender peacefully within the next 72 hours, recognizing that you are at a point of no return. Take this last opportunity," the prime minister said.
Ahmed also called on the TPLF to refrain from "further massacres," and save themselves from being "condemned forever" in the history books.
The Ethiopian forces have already seized the cities of Igada Hamus, Adigrat and Axum, as well as the town of Adwa. The military has been advancing on the Tigray capital and plans to surround the city.
The armed conflict, which was fueled by political tensions between the government and the TPLF, started in early November after Addis Abeba accused the Tigray forces of conducting an attack on a military base in the region.
