Ethiopia's neighbors include Somalia and Sudan, and the prospect of spreading instability sent a chill down the spines of observers. The prime minister said “the end is near” for the regional force, which is based in Ethiopia’s most sensitive region, neighboring Eritrea. Tigray TV reported that airspace has been closed over the region, and it asserted that the northern command of Ethiopia's military had defected to the Tigray government. Last month the federal government moved to send funding for the region to local administrations instead of the regional government, angering TPLF officials. Observers have worried for months about the growing tensions and their implications for the long-turbulent Horn of Africa region, where Abiy cast himself as a peacemaker shortly after taking office.

Source: Ethiopian News November 04, 2020 05:03 UTC