Ethiopia’s Prime Minister declared significant changes to his administration’s military and intelligence leadership on Sunday as he tried to deter military activity of the nation’s insubordinate Tigray area, the Prime minister asked Ethipian citizens not to focus on the ethnic Tigrayan civilians in the midst of fears of civil war.
The United Nations cautions of a merger humanitarian crisis if up to to 9 million Ethiopians in the Tigray region is cut off from the world.
P.M Abiy Ahmed’s reshuffle included little clarification but appeared aimed at bringing the most frank allies of the activity in Tigray to the front line.
The former deputy of the military, Gen. Birhanu Jula, is now the armed force boss.
Foreign Minister Gedu Andargachew was reassigned as security advisor to Abiy, with Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen supplanting him.
Demelash Gebremichael was removed as head of intelligence and will lead the Federal Police Commission, while previous Amhara regional leader Temesgen Tiruneh takes his job
Birhanu told the state-owned Addis Zemen paper that few areas in Tigray including Dansha, Barken and territories from Shiraro to Shire are presently under the government armed force’s control after the military activity started Wednesday.
“The army has destroyed all the heavy weapons controlled by the infidel group. Now it is marching forward,” he said.
The contention in Tigray sets two heavily armed forces in opposition in the core of the vital however weak Horn of Africa, and specialists stress that neighbors including Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia could be sucked in.