By Sergei Gridnev /Sputnik News/ – In early November, the Ethiopian government accused the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) of attacking a federal military base and launched an offensive in the northeastern region. The country’s legislature later approved the establishment of a provisional government in Tigray.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has called on the warring parties in Ethiopia to show restraint and expressed hope that the government there will secure peace through proper methods.
“We are calling on all the sides to exercise restraint … We hope that all the problems will be settled, taking into consideration the need to maintain stability, territorial integrity and unity of Ethiopia, this multinational and multiconfessional country … We assume that the central authorities, the government in Addis Ababa, will find proper methods to work with different regions, including Tigray, to secure civilian peace in the country,” Bogdanov said.
Russia has always advocated stability in Ethiopia, the diplomat noted, pointing to the long-lasting friendly relations with the African country.
Moscow maintains contact with the Ethiopian authorities, including the ambassador in Russia, Bogdanov went on to say, also praising the energetic effort of the Russian embassy in Addis Ababa.
At the start of November, the Ethiopian government accused the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) of attacking a federal military base and launched an offensive in the Tigray Region.
Last week, the Ethiopian Parliament approved the establishment of a provisional government in Tigray. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali said on Twitter that law enforcement operations in Tigray were proceeding as planned and that they would cease only when the “criminal junta” is disarmed.
The TPLF has been in opposition to the incumbent government. In September, it asked the cabinet to hold local elections, earlier postponed over COVID-19. After being rejected, the party organised elections on its own which the central government never recognised as legitimate.
