Addis Ababa's  Authorities Urge Locals to Defend Ethiopian Capital

The authorities of the Ethiopian capital, Addis Baba, appealed to the local residents of the city to prepare to defend their homes and neighborhoods, after the armed Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (TPLF) announced the march towards the capital, in a development described as "dangerous".

According to a statement published by the Ethiopian News Agency, the authorities called on the local residents to obtain licenses to carry their weapons and to gather in residential neighborhoods, or pay for the neighborhoods in which they reside to confront the Tigrayan forces that have been fighting the central government for a year.

The statement explained that residents can gather in their places of residence and guard the places close to them.

The statement advises those who have weapons but cannot participate in guarding the places near them to hand over these weapons to the government or to their closest relatives or friends.

The  Ethiopian authorities confirmed that they were "carrying out a house-to-house search in the capital and arresting troublemakers."

Last Sunday, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called on citizens in Ethiopia to take up arms and fight against the Tigray Liberation Front; Addis Ababa designates the Front as a terrorist organization.

Abiy Ahmed warned his compatriots not to listen to the negative propaganda broadcast by the  TPLF   and called on the citizens to unite together in order to defeat the front.

In recent days, the Tigray People's Liberation Front managed to take control of several strategic towns and confirmed yesterday evening that it was looking to advance toward Addis Ababa, which is about 380 km from its advanced positions.

Getachew Reda, a spokesman for the forces of TPLF, said yesterday that its forces have joined forces from the Oromo region, which are also fighting the central government, adding that they are considering advancing to the capital.

While the European Union (EU) expressed its concern over the Ethiopian government's declaration of a state of emergency with the start of the Tigray People's Liberation Front forces' advance towards the capital, Addis Ababa.

The EU warns that this escalation on both sides would lead Ethiopia to further disintegration.