Berlin [Germany]: German acting Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has called on the parties to the conflict in Ethiopia to immediately cease hostilities. “The conflict in northern Ethiopia has dangerously escalated a year after its eruption. All the warring sides must immediately cease the hostilities. As earlier, Germany and its partners are calling for negotiations and the peaceful resolution of the conflict,” Maas said on late Thursday, as quoted by his press service. He called on the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) to stop the offensive, and on the Ethiopian government to end airstrikes and calls for the mobilization. Maas also pointed out the need to ensure humanitarian access to the conflict-hit regions of Tigray, Amhara and Afar. On Tuesday, the Ethiopian government declared a national state of emergency as part of measures to protect the population from the advance of the TPLF. The Ethiopian government and TPLF rebels have been engaged in year-long hostilities over control of the northern part of the country. The rebels are now moving southward and took control of the town of Kombolcha on October 31, less than 370 kilometres (230 miles) north of Addis Ababa. The authorities have called on the Addis Ababa residents to use weapons to defend their neighbourhoods.
