Abiy to Address Parliament over Tigray Conflict

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed will address the country’s federal parliament on the conflict between government forces and Tigrayan rebels in the north.

It will be his first address to parliament since he won a second term in office last June.

“Ethiopian federal forces have been ‘fighting rebels’ loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, TPLF,” since November 2020.

The country is also “embroiled in a border row with Sudan and a dispute with Egypt and Khartoum over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Gerd, on the Blue Nile river.”

On Sunday, Mr Abiy announced the start of electricity generation from the controversial dam, prompting angry reactions from Egypt and Sudan.

The two downstream countries have called for a legally-binding agreement to resolve a dispute with Ethiopia.

They view the dam as a threat because of their dependence on the Nile for drinking water and irrigation.

BBC/Christopher Ojilere