Ethiopia’s army promises restraint amid fears of new civil war

Army chief accuses Eritrea of funding and supporting armed groups to weaken Ethiopia.Ethiopia’s federal military has said it is handling rising tensions in the country’s north with restraint, as fears grow that Ethiopia could be heading towards another civil war.In his first comments on the recent military developments, Army Chief of Staff Field Marshal Berhanu Jula said the army was responding to what he called provocations from the Tigray front with “wisdom and restraint”.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Young men flee Tigray amid fears of forced recruitmentlist 2 of 3Fighting in northern Ethiopia spurs fears of blackout and blockadelist 3 of 3Ethiopia’s new rebel alliance faces an old problemend of listHe accused Eritrea of funding and supporting armed groups to weaken Ethiopia, describing the “Tsimdo” alliance as an extension of a longstanding pattern of hostile alliances, which he said cannot confront the state without outside backing.Eritrea, wary that landlocked Ethiopia may be seeking to invade it to gain access to the Red Sea, denied the accusations.The fighting has spread from Tigray into neighbouring Afar and Amhara regions after seven armed groups announced an alliance, the Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival, committed to removing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government.In Afar, the latest battles have taken place around Abala, where the military has been trying to prevent rebels from seizing control.Separately, in North Wollo, a zone of Amhara bordering Tigray, the army said on Thursday it had killed 272 Tigrayan fighters and wounded 260 in a counter-offensive, reporting heavy losses for the Tigray-peoples-liberation-front" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="176389" data-entity-type="organization">Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).Members of the armed forces ride a military vehicle as fighting across Ethiopia intensifies amid fears of full-scale civil war [AP]The TPLF’s Tigray Army said the federal government had launched a “full-scale offensive” involving infantry, mechanised units and drones.