‘White and black’ foreign mercenaries fighting alongside TPLF, Ethiopia’s Abiy claims

JUBA – Ethiopian Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed Ali has claimed that his government has evidence to conclude that foreign mercenaries are fighting alongside the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) saying some of them have been killed during the conflict.

The Ethiopian leader who was speaking to a group of senior government officials in a televised addressed said “fighters who are not Ethiopian have taken part” in the recent battles around the two cities.

“There were white and black people who fought along the Tigray People’s Liberation Front – TPLF and died,” Abiy said, without giving evidence.

He said government mobilization during the few months for youth to join the war against Tigray rebels hadn’t been met with a proper organization warning that battles could go wrong though his government will win in the end.

“Battles can go wrong for different reasons but in the end the country will win the war,” the Ethiopian Prime Minister added.

Officials had earlier today ordered Addis Ababa residents to register their firearms and prepare to defend their neighbourhoods.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sent troops into Tigray a year ago to detain and disarm the TPLF, a move he said came in response to attacks on army camps.

The 2019 Nobel Peace laureate promised a swift victory, but by late June the rebels had regrouped and retaken most of Tigray.

They then launched offensives into the neighbouring regions of Afar and Amhara.

The international community has expressed alarm at the expanding conflict, with Western powers reiterating calls for an immediate ceasefire and for the African Union to broker peace talks between the warring parties.