Ethiopians on streets hail armed forces

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA - NOVEMBER 17: Ethiopians on November 17, 2020 hailed their armed forces for fighting in northernmost Tigray province. On Nov. 4, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered a military campaign against Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the ruling group in the Tigray province for defying federal authorities and also attacking a military camp in the provincial capital Mekele, killing numerous soldiers. Authorities say the operation has reached its last stage. At 11:30 a.m. local time, traffic came to a screeching halt in Addis Ababa, with drivers and passengers coming out of vehicles and clapping for the defense forces. The idea to hail defense forces was proposed by a group of Ethiopian artists including the veteran artist Debebe Eshetu, who was imprisoned by TPLF in 2005. Abiy said on Tuesday since the three-day surrender ultimatum given to TPLF was over, the army will launch final combat in the coming days. Speaking to Anadolu Agency Amarech Zewdu, 50, said she was happy to see Ethiopians uniting behind soldiers to maintain the sovereignty of the country. Lieutenant Abere Nega, 51, a retired soldier, said he was ready to join soldiers to go to the war front. “I have never cried in my life before. I cannot now resist my tears,” he said. On Monday, Ethiopia launched airstrikes that it claimed destroyed ammunition depots of the TPLF in Mekele suburb. Abiy who hails from an ethnically mixed family won the 2019 Nobel Prize for Peace for making peace with Eritrea and fostering regional cooperation. The peace pact was not received favorably by the TPLF leaders who have been controlled the Tigray region.(Footage by Mohammed Abdu Abdulbaqi/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)