Thousands of Ethiopians filled a stadium in the capital Addis Ababa to show their support for new military recruits, as the country’s year-long war escalates quickly.
“There is no victory without sacrifice,” Addis Ababa mayor Adanech Abebe said in her address to the crowds. “We are not allowed to get tired at this critical time.”
The event came as Ethiopia’s government lashed out in response to international alarm about hate speech, comparing rival Tigray forces to “a rat that strays far from its hole” and saying the country is close to “burying the evil forces.”
The war that has killed thousands of people and displaced millions since November 2020 threatens to engulf Addis Ababa.
Tigray forces seized key cities in recent days and linked up with another armed group, leading the government of Africa’s second-most populous country to declare a national state of emergency with sweeping detention powers.
In the meantime, Ethiopia’s parliament ratified the country’s state of emergency Thursday by an overwhelming majority, as rival Tigray forces threaten to move on the capital and the country’s yearlong war escalates quickly.
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