Rebels Brace to Storm Addis Ababa Soon to Topple Abiy's Gov't  

The commander of the Oromo forces allied with the Tigray Liberation Front said  today, Wednesday, that the end of the government of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is "very near stressed that his forces have approached Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia.

The military commander of Oromo forces, Gal Moro, added that he was sure that the civil war in Ethiopia will end very soon, claiming that the fighters loyal to the Ethiopian government had begun to defect.

But the Ethiopian government denies all statements that indicate the superiority or progress of "the rebels according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Moro added that the rebels are preparing to launch another attack, and the government is just trying to buy time and provoke a civil war, and that is why it is calling the people to fight.

It is noteworthy that since the announcement of the alliance of the Tigray Popular Liberation Front (TPLF) with the "Oromo", last August, the alliance has succeeded in retaking two strategic cities 400 kilometers from the capital.

According to Gal Moro, his fighters are closer to 40 kilometers from the capital, Addis Ababa, and "have not retreated an inch" from the lands they control.

In turn, government spokeswoman Silamawit Kasa said that the army carried out airstrikes, on Monday, in Tigray and a "strategic" site between Amhara and Afar, without giving further details.

On its part, the Tigray People's Liberation Front confirmed that there would be no "bloodbath" if its fighters enter the capital, Addis Ababa, to overthrow the central government.

"The statement that the people of Addis Ababa are strongly against us is completely exaggerated," Getachew Reda, a spokesman for the Tigray Front, which is leading an insurgency against the central government, said in an interview Sunday night with AFP.

Reda affirmed that controlling the Ethiopian capital is not a "goal" of the TPLF, explaining that their goal is to ensure that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed "does not pose a threat to our people.