Rally supports Ethiopian forces in fight against Tigray rebels

By Gokhan Kavak

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AA) – Thousands of people on Sunday took out a rally in the capital Addis Ababa to support the government forces fighting the rebels in Oromiya and Amhara states of Ethiopia.

The demonstrators gathered in the capital’s Meskel Square, chanting slogans against the rebel Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA). The participants of the rally carried anti-foreign intervention banners and sang national anthems.

Supporting Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopians rejected Western countries' call for negotiations, declaring that they stand with the government against the TPLF and its allies.

Adanech Abebe, the mayor of Addis Ababa, said: "We are united and determined against our enemies. We will not bow to sanctions."

On Nov. 2, the Horn of Africa nation declared a state of emergency as the TPLF made military gains in the Amhara region, adjacent to the Tigray region.

The conflict erupted last year following a TPLF attack on an army base.

* Writing by Merve Berker in Ankara