During a rally in support of the military campaign, Ethiopians denounced the US to Reuters

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – Tens of thousands of Ethiopians rallied in Addis Ababa on Sunday in support of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government as federal troops march against rebel forces threatening to march on the city.

Some protesters say the U.S., which is among the foreign powers calling for a ceasefire, has escalated a year-long war that has killed thousands of people amid rebel advances last weekend.

The UN Security Council, the African Union and Kenya and Uganda have also called for a ceasefire in recent days.

The Abiy government has pledged to continue the fight. On Friday, the government said it was responsible for securing the country, and called on foreign powers to stand up for Ethiopia’s democracy.

Some gathered in Meskel Square in central Addis Ababa to wear the national flag. Many criticized the United States.

The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden accused Ethiopia of “serious human rights violations” on Tuesday, and said it intended to remove the country from the African Growth and Opportunity (AGOA) trade agreement.

“Shame on the US,” read the poster of one protester, and another said the US should stop “absorbing the blood of Ethiopia”.

Other protesters expressed anger at the US call for talks to start talks with the government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).

The conflict in the north of the country began a year ago, when forces loyal to the TPLF took over military bases in the Tigray region. In response, Abiy sent troops, who were initially expelled from the TPLF Mekelle regional capital, but had suffered a major setback since June this year.

“Why doesn’t the US government negotiate with terrorists like Shabaab?” said 37-year-old Tigist Lemma, referring to a group of militants linked to al-Qaeda in Somalia.

“They want to destroy our country like they did with Afghanistan. They will never get it. We are Ethiopians.”

In his speech, the mayor of Addis Ababa, Adanech Abiebe, looked at the history of Ethiopia’s confrontation with colonial powers to justify the war.

The conflict has killed thousands of people, forced the evacuation of more than 2 million people and left 400,000 people starving in Tigray.

UN aid chief Martin Griffiths traveled to Mekelle on Sunday and met women affected by the fighting and humanitarian partners, the UN Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs said.

“(He) spoke to the de facto authorities about the need for humanitarian access and protection of civilians in all areas under their control, and about respect for humanitarian principles,” OCHA said.

An Ethiopian humanitarian source and a person familiar with the matter told Reuters that the UA’s special envoy for the African Horn, Olusegun Obasanjo, was also on the trip.

AU spokesperson Ebba Kalondo did not respond to the request. TPLF spokesman Getachew Reda told Reuters that Griffiths and Obasanjo had visited Mekelle.

Government spokeswoman Legesse Tulu did not respond to a request for comment on the visit of officials.

‘NO YOUNG’ FORWARD LINE

At the Addis Ababa rally, there was a call for austerity by the well-known musician Tariku Gankisi, and his songs call for the unity of all Ethiopians.

“Let no young man go to the front line to fight, the old man to hold on to the fresh grass and ask for reconciliation,” Tariku told the crowd, before turning off the microphone, it was not clear who. Fresh grass is a symbol of peace in the country.

Under the state of emergency declared on Tuesday, the government could order citizens of military age to undergo training and accept military duties.

Reuters was unable to independently confirm the extent of TPLF’s progress. The TPLF and their allies told Reuters last week that they were 325 kilometers (200 miles) from the capital. The government accuses the group of making excessive profits.

The government has also accused foreign media of echoing the conflict and at a rally some people made posters denouncing “fake news” in Ethiopia.

Billene Seyoum, Abiy’s spokeswoman, said in a Twitter (NYSE 🙂 message on Saturday night: “The orchestrated media propaganda against Ethiopia is intensifying … Anyway Ethiopia will overcome it!”