Ethiopia Offers $260,000-Reward for Information on TPLF Leaders

The Ethiopian government has offered Friday a reward of 10 million Ethiopian Birr ($260,000) to anyone who provides information about the fleeing Tigrayan Liberation Front leaders.

The government task force on the Tigray crisis said on "Twitter" that the reward will be given to anyone who provides assistance to arrest the leaders of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), according to Reuters.

Tigray leaders are believed to be hiding in the mountains surrounding the capital of Tigray Province, since the federal army took control of the city on November 28, and said they would continue to fight against Ethiopian government forces.

Reuters was unable to reach Tigray's leaders to request comment.

Thousands of people have died in the Tigray War, and nearly a million people have been displaced from their homes during the air strikes and ground operations by the federal army in the northern region.

The conflict has worried Ethiopia's international allies about destabilizing Africa's second most populous country.

The European Union froze about 90 million euros in aid paid to Addis Ababa due to its concerns about the crisis.

According to the document obtained by Reuters, "Postponing these payments does not mean that the government of Ethiopia has lost these funds," as the value of the funds that have been suspended amounts to a total of 88.5 million euros, of which 60 million are allocated to developing logistical relations and communications between Addis Ababa and its neighbors and 17.5 million aim to support the health sector budget.

It is worth noting that this decision comes within the framework of the European Union’s call for a cessation of hostilities and for finding a "political solution" to the conflict in this region in northern Ethiopia, according to AFP.