25th November, 2020
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, on Tuesday agreed to pursue an end to the fight in Ethiopia which is threatening the stability of the Eastern Africa region.
“The two leaders discussed regional security and Kenya’s membership of the UN Security Council and agreed on the need to end the fighting in Ethiopia,” President Kenyatta’s office said in a statement.
President Kenyatta, who held a virtual summit with the president of the European Council, emphasized that the conflict in Ethiopia is a threat to the stability of the entire Horn of Africa region.
The two leaders met as the UN Security Council was meeting to discuss the situation in Ethiopia.
Heavy fighting has continued in Ethiopia’s Tigray region since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched a military offensive against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), led by Debretsion Gebremicheal, a former Information minister and deputy prime minister in Ethiopia.
On Monday, the TPLF reportedly fired more rockets towards Bahir Dar in the Amhara region, neighbouring Tigray region.
The TPLF has also fired rockets at Asmara, claiming the rockets were fired to pre-empt attacks from the government of Eritrea.
Former Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn wrote on Tuesday that the Tigray People’s Liberation Front was attempting to arm-twist the international community into agreeing to share political power and to continue its influence on Ethiopian politics.
TPLF, the party of the late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, has been in power since 1991.
Prime Minister Abiy’s top military commanders said the former ruling party was attempting once again to seize political power in Ethiopia.
Several senior military officers have been earmarked for prosecution for high treason and other crimes still under investigation.