Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed vows to lead troops in rebel war

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Meet me at the front, Abiy Ahmed

Fred Harter, Addis Ababa

Tuesday November 23 2021, 11.00am, The Times

Abiy Ahmed told able-bodied Ethiopians to “bury” rebels who are advancing from Tigray

MULUGETA AYENE/AP

Ethiopia’s prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, is to travel to the front line to personally direct the fight against rebels pushing towards the capital from the northern Tigray region.

“From tomorrow I will join the front to lead the defence forces,” Abiy said in a statement last night. “Those of you who aspire to be remembered in history, rise up for your country. Meet me at the front.”

Abiy, a former soldier who won the Nobel peace prize in 2019, made the announcement after rebels led by the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) claimed to have captured Shewa Robit, a town about 125 miles from Addis Ababa and the scene of the heaviest fighting in recent days.

Senior politicians are due to join Abiy and his troops on the front line

AMANUEL SILESHI/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Earlier yesterday his defence minister, Abraham Belay, said that.

Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed vows to lead troops in rebel war | World | The Times