Clashes broke out between the federal military forces and local security units in the northern region of Tigray, where the ruling party has defied the authority of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
NAIROBI, Kenya â Ethiopia appeared to be careening toward civil war on Thursday when its military stepped up hostilities against the powerful ruling faction in the northern region of Tigray, mustering troops from across the country as its leaders ignored international pleas to step back from the brink.
âOur country has entered into a war it didnât anticipate,â Gen. Birhanu Jula, the deputy chief of the Ethiopian National Defense Force, said on state television Thursday afternoon. âThis war is shameful, it is senseless.â
In early clashes, there were âinjured soldiers on both sides,â he added.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced military operations in Tigray, accusing the ruling Tigray Peopleâs Liberation Front of arming irregular militias and orchestrating an attack on a major federal army base in the region.
Western officials reported clashes between federal and local security forces in Tigray on Wednesday that left dozens of casualties. Internet and phone services to the area have been cut off since early Wednesday.
Speaking on Tigrayan television on Thursday, the regional president of Tigray, Debretsion Gebremichael, said: âThe Tigrayans have full potential to destroy enemies far and near, those who step on peace and declare war on the Tigray People.â
Declan Walsh reported from Nairobi, Kenya, and Simon Marks from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.