Ethiopia : Rebels Forty KM From Capital

Time is running out in the conflict pitting the Federal Government in Addis Ababa to the country’s regional government of Tigray. After a year of fighting that has left thousands dead, injured and millions displaced, the civil war last week took a different twist that needs urgent negotiations following the rapid advancement of Tigrayan troops aided by a coalition of seven other rebel groups that signed an accord on Friday in Washington (United States), aimed at mutualizing forces. The Government of Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, now faces grim prospects of either to continue a war that could easily spill into the densely populated capital resulting to a defeat at the hands of a renegade army or a negotiated settlement that would severely weaken his position.
Despite several massive government support march in the streets of the capital Addis Ababa over the weekend during which demonstrators displayed banners and slogans in favour of the unity of Ethiopia and against the offensive of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), and its new allies, such as the Oromo Liberation Army (Ola), the situation is precarious. The government has rejected reports that the rebels are within striking distance of Addis Ababa, but ordered the population of the capital to prepare to defend itself. A former foreign minister and Tigray official, Berhane Gebrechristos, told reporters that, “Definitely we will have a change in Ethiopia within weeks before Ethiopia implodes.” 
The threat of fresh rebel advances has spurred efforts by foreign envoys to broker a settlement. Saturday the U.S. State Department ordered “non-emergency U.S. government employees and their family members” to leave Ethiopia, while other foreign embassies have wit...