Ethiopia calls on civilians to join army to fight Tigray forces

All eligible civilians should join the military to stop Tigray forces ‘once and for all’, PM Abiy Ahmed’s office says.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has issued a call for all eligible civilians to join the armed forces as fighting raged in multiple regions of Africa’s second-most populous nation. The call on Tuesday by the Nobel Peace Prize-winning leader represented the further crumbling of the unilateral ceasefire his government declared in June as its military retreated from Tigray or the abandonment of the ceasefire altogether. “Now is the right time for all capable Ethiopians who are of age to join the Defence Forces, Special Forces and militias and show your patriotism,” Abiy’s office said in a statement.