Approaching fall of Addis Ababa: Oromo Army and Tigray Front advance towards Ethiopian capital
The United Front of Ethiopian
Federalist and Confederalist Forces (UFEFCF) is a name that has become alarming
for Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, as the coalition consists of Tigrayan
forces, in addition to the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) and seven other groups
from all over the country.
After the internal battlefield in
Ethiopia was two-sided between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front and Abiy
Ahmed’s forces, the OLA, which united with the Tigrayan forces, appeared in the
confrontations to pull the rug from under the feet of the prime minister’s
forces, according to French radio station Monte Carlo.
The number of allied groups against
the Ethiopian prime minister reached nine, all aiming to stop Ahmed, who called
on civilians via social media to take up arms and engage in military
confrontations.
School closures
In a new development of events on
the Ethiopian battlefield, the OLA announced on Saturday, December 4, its
advance and approach to the capital, Addis Ababa, according to a report by
Al-Arabiya satellite channel. The Ethiopian authorities decided to close all
secondary schools so that students could participate in harvesting crops rather
than being on the battlefront in the civil war, Ethiopian media reported.
The closure of schools is scheduled
to last for a week, according to the Ethiopian Minister of Education, while
about 2 million students have already left schools due to the war that began a
year ago in the northern region of Tigray.
In addition, the OLA had previously
indicated coordinating with the forces of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front
to overthrow Ahmed’s regime as soon as possible and form a transitional
government.
The commander of the Tigray People's
Liberation Front said that his forces are preparing for a major attack that
will resolve the battle with the government forces led by Abiy Ahmed, adding,
“We have not withdrawn, and our plan now is to shorten the time to prevent the
suffering of the Ethiopians from worsening.”
In a related development, Ahmed's
forces said that they are taking control of cities that were under the control
of the Tigray People's Liberation Front, explaining that they have regained
control of the historic city of Lalibela, which includes churches registered in
the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites.
Prime Minister Ahmed announced
large-scale military operations by the Ethiopian army to liberate the cities of
Kemise, Bati and Kombolcha from the grip of the Tigray People's Liberation
Front in the coming days, explaining that the victory that was achieved in the
east and west of the country during the past days will be repeated in these
cities and other regions in the area. He added that more areas will be
liberated from the grip of the Tigrayan forces.
Approaching the
capital
In a report on the Oromo Liberation
Army, France 24 said that while the forces of the Ethiopian Federal Army and
allied gangs are waging a war in the northern front against the Tigrayan
forces, another armed group allied with Tigray is fighting in the south and
west of the country and is making rapid progress towards the capital, Addis Ababa.
France 24 confirmed that the OLA now
controls a large area of land and plans with the Tigray People’s Liberation
Front to overthrow the government and seize the capital in the near future.