Approaching fall of Addis Ababa: Oromo Army and Tigray Front advance towards Ethiopian capital

Mahmoud Mohammadi

The United Front of Ethiopian Federalist and Confederalist Forces (UFEFCF) is a name that has become alarming for Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, as the coalition consists of Tigrayan forces, in addition to the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) and seven other groups from all over the country.

After the internal battlefield in Ethiopia was two-sided between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front and Abiy Ahmed’s forces, the OLA, which united with the Tigrayan forces, appeared in the confrontations to pull the rug from under the feet of the prime minister’s forces, according to French radio station Monte Carlo.

The number of allied groups against the Ethiopian prime minister reached nine, all aiming to stop Ahmed, who called on civilians via social media to take up arms and engage in military confrontations.

School closures

In a new development of events on the Ethiopian battlefield, the OLA announced on Saturday, December 4, its advance and approach to the capital, Addis Ababa, according to a report by Al-Arabiya satellite channel. The Ethiopian authorities decided to close all secondary schools so that students could participate in harvesting crops rather than being on the battlefront in the civil war, Ethiopian media reported.

The closure of schools is scheduled to last for a week, according to the Ethiopian Minister of Education, while about 2 million students have already left schools due to the war that began a year ago in the northern region of Tigray.

In addition, the OLA had previously indicated coordinating with the forces of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front to overthrow Ahmed’s regime as soon as possible and form a transitional government.

The commander of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front said that his forces are preparing for a major attack that will resolve the battle with the government forces led by Abiy Ahmed, adding, “We have not withdrawn, and our plan now is to shorten the time to prevent the suffering of the Ethiopians from worsening.”

In a related development, Ahmed’s forces said that they are taking control of cities that were under the control of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, explaining that they have regained control of the historic city of Lalibela, which includes churches registered in the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites.

Prime Minister Ahmed announced large-scale military operations by the Ethiopian army to liberate the cities of Kemise, Bati and Kombolcha from the grip of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front in the coming days, explaining that the victory that was achieved in the east and west of the country during the past days will be repeated in these cities and other regions in the area. He added that more areas will be liberated from the grip of the Tigrayan forces.

Approaching the capital

In a report on the Oromo Liberation Army, France 24 said that while the forces of the Ethiopian Federal Army and allied gangs are waging a war in the northern front against the Tigrayan forces, another armed group allied with Tigray is fighting in the south and west of the country and is making rapid progress towards the capital, Addis Ababa.

France 24 confirmed that the OLA now controls a large area of land and plans with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front to overthrow the government and seize the capital in the near future.