The U.S. is “very concerned” about the Ethiopian elections ahead of the Ethiopian News

Washington says ethnic violence and opposition detainees will raise doubts about the credibility of the vote.

The United States has expressed concern ahead of the Ethiopian elections, saying that ethnic violence and the arrest of opposition people will raise doubts about the credibility of the vote.

Africa’s second-largest nation has held elections on June 21 in which Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, with commitments to break with the authoritarian past that came to power in 2018, is seeking a new mandate.

But the reputation of the Nobel Peace Prize winner has been tarnished by a military campaign in the Tigray region, and the United Nations warned tens of thousands of children on Friday risk appetite.

“The United States is very concerned about the environment in holding these upcoming elections,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement Friday.

“The arrest of opposition politicians, harassment of independent media, partisan activities by local and regional governments and numerous conflicts between ethnicities and communities across Ethiopia are obstacles to a free and fair electoral process and whether Ethiopians will be considered credible,” he said.

“The exclusion of large sectors of the electorate from this competition is particularly worrying due to security issues and internal displacement.”

Ethiopian elections are progressing after two delays. Last year’s election authorities postponed polls due to the coronavirus pandemic and then postponed voting until June 5 due to logistical concerns.

The United States, historically an ally of Ethiopia, has shown increasing patience with the management of the conflict with Abiyri and Tigray.

Fighting in Tigray began in November 2020 between government troops and the former regional government party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).

The TPLF led a coalition that ruled Ethiopia for nearly 30 years, until Abiy took power after street protests. Abiy pushed the TPLF further away from his longtime enemies as soon as he took office by making peace with Eritrea, and tensions were mounting.

Although Abiy promised that military operations in Tigray would be short-lived, almost seven months later, fighting continues, news of the atrocities are spreading and world leaders are reporting a humanitarian catastrophe.

Violence has killed thousands of citizens and forced some two million from houses in the mountainous region.

In July last year, security forces arrested Jawar Mohammed, the main opposition figure and harsh critic of the prime minister, after the protests after the assassination of well-known musician Hachalu Hundessa in Addis Ababa.

In September, authorities submitted the archive terrorism charges Against Jawar and several major activists. Jawar’s lawyer has repeatedly claimed that he was locked up for his political opinion and has asked for his release.