Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has vowed to lead the army “from the battlefield” Conflict News

The Nobel Peace Prize-winning prime minister has said he will lead troops fighting Tigray rebels from Tuesday.

The Nobel Peace Prize-winning Prime Minister of Ethiopia has said he will lead his country’s army “from the battle front” starting Tuesday, a tremendous new step as the year-long conflict approaches the capital Addis Ababa.

“From tomorrow, I will mobilize at the front to direct the defense forces,” Abiy Ahmed said in a note posted on Twitter on Monday night.

“Those who want to be among the Ethiopian children who will be praised by history, stand up for your country today. Let’s unite on the battlefield. ‘

The war between Ethiopian forces and allies, and fighters in the northern Tigray region of the country, who dominated the national government before Abiy took office, is estimated to have killed tens of thousands of people. The United States and others have warned that Africa’s second most populous country could break up and destabilize the region.

A statement from the 45-year-old prime minister, a former soldier, did not say exactly where he would go on Tuesday. His spokeswoman, Billene Seyoum, did not respond to the Associated Press news agency’s request for comment.

Abiy’s comments continued that the rebel group Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) continued to put pressure on Addis Ababa, claiming control of the town of Shewa Robit, just 220 kilometers northeast (136 miles) of the capital.

It was also after a meeting of the government’s Prosperity Party executive committee to discuss the war.

Defense Minister Abraham Belay told the state-linked media after the meeting that the security forces would embark on a “different action” without giving details.

“We can’t go on like this, which means there will be change,” Belay said.

“What has happened and is happening to our people, the destructive, terrorist and thieving gangs that this thief is committing cannot continue.”

Getachew Reda Tigray, a spokeswoman for the forces, tweeted that “our forces will not give up on the impossible progress they have made to end the drowning of our people (Abiyren).”

Tigray forces have said they are pressuring the Ethiopian government to remove the six-million-strong blockade of the Tigray region for a month, but they also want Abiy out of power.

The prime minister’s statement also said that western countries were trying to defeat Ethiopia, the latest setback against what his government has called an international mix. Representatives of the African Union and the United States have continued their diplomatic efforts to achieve a ceasefire in talks and unconditional talks for a political solution.

Following Abiy’s announcement, a senior State Department official told reporters that the U.S. still believes there is “a small chance” in mediation efforts.

Within a year, the Abiy government has gone from describing the Tigray conflict as a “law enforcement operation” to an “existential war”. With the Ethiopian army weakened in recent months and withdrawn from Tigray in June, ethnic forces based in the region have stepped up their campaign, and the Abiy government has called on all capable citizens to join the fight. Earlier this month, the government imposed a six-month state of emergency.

Abiy’s announcement came as a surprise to the man nominated for the Nobel Prize, Awol Allo, a tenured professor of law at Keele University in the UK. “The proclamation is full of the language of martyrdom and sacrifice,” he said in a tweet. “This is very extraordinary and unprecedented. It shows how depressing the situation is.”

Abiy was awarded the Novel for making peace with Eritrea, on the border of which he fought while in the Tigray region.

The terms of this peace agreement have never been made public.