Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said that the military operations in the north of the country have clear, limited and achievable goals, after declaring war on the authorities of the Tigray region.
For its part, the regional government said that its capital was bombed by Federal Forces aircraft.
And Abiy Ahmed said in a post on Twitter today, Friday, that the military campaign aims to "restore the rule of law and constitutional order, and protect the rights of Ethiopians to have a life of peace anywhere in the country."
His office announced in a statement that according to the state of emergency approved by Parliament on November 6, the Emergency Task Force can do what it deems necessary, such as "disarming any security force belonging to the region, maintaining the security of the civilian population, and imposing restrictions." On transportation. "
He added that it could also "impose a curfew, arrest those suspected of participating in illegal activities threatening the constitutional order, and use appropriate force to restore law and order."
Military option
The statement indicated that the government "showed the utmost patience, and the military option came after exhausting all peaceful options, including dialogue, negotiations, and the involvement of neutral mediators."
He added that the Tigray People's Liberation Front - which holds the reins of power in the region - has, during the past two years, carried out "horrific crimes" in several parts of the country "through planning, training, financing and actual implementation, either directly or through its criminal arms."
The statement stated that the front "conducted illegal elections and established itself as the legitimate ruler of the Tigray region, as well as declaring the federal government illegal."
He added, "The height of intransigence came on November 4, when the front attacked the defense forces stationed in the region."
The Ethiopian army announced on Thursday that the central government had entered a war with what it called the rebel authorities in the northern Tigray region.
Parliament approved Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to declare a state of emergency in the region, which borders Eritrea and Sudan.
Sudan has partially closed its borders with Ethiopia from the Kassala state side in light of these developments.
Air bombardment
On the other hand, the Media Office of the Tigray Regional Government said that the federal government warplanes bombed some sites in the city of Maqli, the provincial capital, without indicating the location of the bombing or its effects.
Reuters quoted an aid worker in the region as saying that separate bombing sounds echoed in the town of Aburafi, near the border between the Tigray and Amhara regions, at 3 am today, Friday local time (midnight GMT).
Earlier, the agency quoted two diplomatic sources as saying that two Ethiopian fighters were seen flying over the city of Maqli on Thursday afternoon, in a move described as a show of force by the Ethiopian National Defense Forces.
The Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement that Ethiopia closed the airspace over Tigray on Thursday, and also stopped the routes of all international and domestic flights passing through the airspace in the north of the country.
International communication and concern
On the other hand, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, expressed his concern about the fighting in the Tigray region.
"The stability of Ethiopia is important to the entire Horn of Africa," Guterres said on Twitter. "I call for an immediate de-escalation and a peaceful resolution of the conflict."
Stefan Dujarric, a spokesman for the Secretary-General, said Guterres would hold phone talks with Addis Ababa to try to de-escalate the escalation in Tigray.
He pointed out that the UN Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Parfi Onanga Anyanga, arrived in the Ethiopian capital, stressing that the current situation in the country poses a threat to the region.