Tigrayan Troops Try To Take Over Addis Ababa, US Embassy Allows Staff To Leave Ethiopia

Illustrated Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. (Wikimedia Commons / Mattias Kiel Nielsen)

JAKARTA - The United States (US) Embassy in Ethiopia has permitted the voluntary departure of non-emergency government staff and family members, due to armed conflict, according to a statement on its website, as rebel forces in the north make progress.

The decision came after the United States on Wednesday said it was "deeply concerned" about escalating violence and expanding hostilities, reiterating calls for a halt to military operations in favor of ceasefire talks.

"The (Department of State) permitted the voluntary departure of non-emergency US government employees and family members of emergency and non-emergency employees from Ethiopia due to armed conflict, civil unrest, and possible supply shortages," the embassy said in a statement, citing Reuters Nov.

Travel to Ethiopia is unsafe and possible further escalation, he added.

"The Ethiopian government has previously restricted or shut down internet, mobile data and telephone services during and after civil unrest," the statement continued.

A spokesman for the Legesse Tulu Government did not immediately respond to a phone call seeking comment on the United States Embassy statement.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, Ethiopia declared a state of emergency, with troops from the northern region of Tigray threatening to advance into the capital, Addis Ababa.

Jeffrey Feltman, US Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, is expected to arrive in Addis Ababa to urge a halt to military operations in the north and to start ceasefire talks.

On Wednesday, Britain urged its citizens to review their need to stay in Ethiopia and consider leaving while commercial options are available.

Separately, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed vowed to bury his government's enemies 'with our blood', as Tigrayan rebel forces and their Oromo allies threatened to advance into Addis Ababa.

For information, Abiy was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019, for successfully resolving Ethiopia's longstanding conflict with Eritrea.

Previous calls to 'bury' enemies in a statement posted on Abiy's official Facebook page over the weekend have been removed by the platform, for violating its policy against inciting and supporting violence, the company said.

Tigrayan troops are in Kemise Town in Amhara state, 325 km (200 miles) from the capital, Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) spokesman Getachew Reda told Reuters late Wednesday, pledging to minimize casualties on their way to retrieve Addis Ababa.

"We do not intend to shoot civilians and we do not want bloodshed. If possible, we want the process to be peaceful," he said.

A regional analyst who is in touch with the parties to the war and who spoke on condition of anonymity said the TPLF is likely to delay any progress in Addis Ababa until they secure the highway that runs from neighboring Djibouti to the capital.

It made the TPLF need to take Mille City. Getachew said Tuesday that Tigrayan troops were closing in on Mille.