France suspended a deal on military cooperation with Ethiopia due to deep concern over the conflict in the country's north regions, two sources revealed on Friday.
The deal, agreed between Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and France's President Emmanuel Macron in March 2019, was suspended at the beginning of July, two official sources told AFP.
France was supposed to loan 85 million euros ($100 million) to support landlocked Ethiopia’s ambition to build a navy, according to the deal.
Abiy was awarded the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for his role in helping to end the decades-long conflict with neighbouring Eritrea.
However, international partners have become anxious about his leadership as the conflict in the northern Tigray region intensifies.
Northern Ethiopia has been wracked by conflict since November when the Prime Minister sent troops to topple the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which dominated national politics for nearly three decades before he took office.
On Tuesday, Abiy’s office issued a statement calling for “all capable Ethiopians who are of age” to join the armed forces as the conflict escalates.
The TPLF affirmed it is not seeking to reclaim power at the national level and is instead focused on “degrading” pro-government troops and trying to facilitate aid access to Tigray.
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