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05 November 2021 Today demonstrations in Ethiopia in support of the government. Thousands of people took to the streets in different locations in the regions of Oromia and Gambella to protest against the offensive of the Tigray Liberation Front (Tplf) and the Oromo Liberation Army (Ola), who have joined forces and threaten to advance towards Addis Ababa. According to the news of the local Fana TV, initiatives were recorded among other things in the cities of Adama, Dire Daua, Dukem, Gambella, Gimma and Sabata, where demonstrators denounced the "atrocities" attributed to the two groups, confirming support for the government and the willingness to join the security forces to face the offensive.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration has recommended American citizens in Ethiopia to prepare to leave the country.
This was announced by the State Department.
On the other hand, the Tplf Liberation Front in a tweet by Getachew K Reda, consultant to the President of Tigray, asks the current government to leave #TheRegimeMustGo, celebrating the liberation of Kemisee, the main center of the Oromo region in the Amhara region.
The #TigrayArmedForces joined hands with # OLF-OLA to liberate #Kemisse, the capital of Oromo special zone in #Amhara region.
Joint operations will continue in the days and weeks ahead. # TheRegimeMustGo!
- Getachew K Reda (@reda_getachew) November 3, 2021
"Ethiopia is on the verge of a humanitarian and human rights catastrophe."
Amnesty International Italia writes this on Twitter, relaunching the complaint made today by Amnesty International following the proclamation of a state of emergency by the government and the growing hate speech on social media.
Ethiopia is on the verge of a humanitarian and human rights catastrophe https://t.co/uEgGsXsnQm
- Amnesty Italia (@amnestyitalia) November 5, 2021
Since the start of the Tigray conflict a year ago, Amnesty International has been documenting war crimes by the Federal Army of Ethiopia, the Armed Forces of Eritrea and the armed militias amhara. The human rights organization also reported an increase in reports of war crimes against the Tigray People's Liberation Front (Tplf) and serious ethnic-based human rights violations by the Oromo Liberation Army (Ola ), which recently joined the Tplf against the central government.
Another worrying development is the call of the people to arms, urged by various regional authorities, against the TPLF. "Such appeals risk dragging the civilian population into the conflict and encouraging the establishment of armed militias on an ethnic basis," the organization emphasizes. Amnesty International also said it was alarmed by the rise in hate speech on social media.
On November 3, Facebook removed a post from Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for violating the platform's rules against violence. On other platforms, offensive expressions against Tigrayans are on the rise, including by journalists and politicians, which are removed very slowly, concludes Amnesty.
The state of emergency, proclaimed by the government on November 4 and lasting six months, affects the whole of Ethiopia.
It authorizes the authorities to make arrests without a warrant of those who are "reasonably suspected" of collaborating with "terrorist groups" and to keep them in prison until the state of emergency continues, without judicial review.
The government will ensure that the city of Addis Ababa is protected from the entry of the opposition forces which could, on the other hand, choose another tactic to block the capital.