Abiy begins new term as Tigray war fuels forced-recruitment fears
Ethiopia's new parliament re-elected Abiy Ahmed as prime minister for five more years on Monday. In the north, residents say Tigrayan forces are rounding up men and boys as young as 15 to fight. The war restarted Sept. 23, ending a 2022 peace deal.
Ethiopia's new parliament gave Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed another five-year term on Monday. Lawmakers met for the first time since the June 1 election and swore him in, EthioInsight reported. Former Finance Minister Ahmed Shide became speaker.
The African Union's top official, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, congratulated Abiy. The AU is based in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa.
The celebration came as war raged again in the northern Tigray region. Fighting between the federal government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front erupted Sept. 23. It broke a peace deal signed in Pretoria in November 2022, The Guardian reported.
Now, residents describe forced recruitment. Witnesses told The Guardian that the TPLF is targeting men and boys ages 15 to 65. "I have seen the armed group of the TPLF rounding up people as young as 15 and 16 at gunpoint," said one man who fled to Addis Ababa. The Guardian changed the names of the people it quoted to protect them.
Daily life in Tigray is hard. The federal government froze bank accounts in the region last week, the Guardian reported. Banks have reopened, but people can only take out 2,000 birr a day, about £9. Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights after Tigrayan forces seized the airport in the regional capital, Mekelle.
Government-allied fighters have since retaken Mekelle. The TPLF said Saturday that its forces had pulled out, the Associated Press reported. Residents told AP that people looted government offices and police headquarters as the fighters left.
The fighting has spread beyond Ethiopia's borders. Ethiopia says the TPLF is likely getting help from Eritrea and Egypt. Both deny it. Ethiopia closed its embassy in Eritrea last week, and Eritrea said it was cutting diplomatic ties, AP reported.
Some background: Abiy became prime minister in 2018. The 2020-22 war in Tigray killed an estimated 300,000 to 800,000 civilians, according to the British government, as cited by The Guardian. Eritrean forces and Amhara militias that fought the TPLF in that war have now switched sides to back it, the Guardian reports.
What we know: Abiy has a new term, and the government holds Mekelle.
What we don't: How many have been killed or forced to fight, and whether talks can restart.
Where outlets agree EthioInsight and the African Union both confirm that Abiy was re-elected prime minister for a new five-year term on Oct. 5.
Where they differ Ethiopia accuses Eritrea and Egypt of backing the TPLF, while both countries deny it and Eritrea says Abiy is trying to blame outsiders for an internal conflict.