Wednesday November 25, 2020
ADDIS ABABA (HOL) - Ethiopia has warned against external intervention in the ongoing fighting in Tigray region noting it has the capacity to resolve its own disputes.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said in a statement Tuesday his country was not in any need for help urging for ‘refrain’ from the international community.
“While we consider the concern and advise from our friends, we reject any interference in our internal affairs,” Abiy said. “We therefore respectfully urge the international community to refrain from any unwelcome and unlawful acts of interference and respect the fundamental principles of non-intervention under international law.”
The remarks follows international calls on parties to the conflict to de-escalate and allow access to humanitarian intervention.
The EU Vice President Josep Borrell Tuesday told the visiting Ethiopian deputy prime minister Demeke Mekonnen that his country should allow the intervention of the African Union and allow for aid access.
“The message of the EU is clear: we call on all parties to put in place the conditions that will facilitate unimpeded access to people in need, the cessation of hostilities, the non-interference of any external party, and the freedom of the media,” Borrell said.
A UN Security Council meeting on Ethiopia failed to take place Tuesday after it emerged diplomats called for more time to allow the Africa Union respond on the matter.
The Ethiopian Government has since turned down the AU’s intervention but has dispatched senior officials to the IGAD region and the EU.