Ethiopia’s prime minister has vowed to wipe out the “cancer” of a rebel group in war-torn Tigray, prompting fears of genocide in a conflict that has raged since last November.
Abiy Ahmed, 44, used word such as “weeds”, “cancer” and “disease” to describe the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which once ruled Ethiopia but was designated a terrorist organisation by Abiy’s government in May.
“We work to remove the weeds. When we remove the weed, we take care of the wheat, we will not hurt the wheat. The weed is being removed from our country,” the prime minister said yesterday.
Abiy’s statements come after rebels in Tigray claimed a series of battlefield gains in recent weeks, including the recapture of the regional capital of Mekelle.
