Ethiopia's war closes in on the capital as all sides balk at calls for a ceasefire

Johannesburg — Tens of thousands of people took part in massive rallies in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa on Sunday. It was a show of support for the government as it battles an alliance of rebel forces threatening to march on the city, but there was strong anti-American sentiment at the gatherings, too.

The fighting in Ethiopia has raged for just over a year now, but what started as an isolated battle between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government and rebels in the northern Tigray region has snowballed into a fight for his political survival.

The Tigrayan rebels formed an alliance last week — announced while a senior U.S. envoy was in Ethiopia — with eight other militant groups, including the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) based in the country's south. Over the weekend, the OLA commander warned Abiy that forces loyal to the government were defecting, and he claimed the rebels were close to victory.